


Seasons

by FMB



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, Frottage, M/M, Multi, Porn, it's not a high school au, seasons au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-10
Updated: 2013-10-06
Packaged: 2017-12-26 04:42:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 48,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/961684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FMB/pseuds/FMB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The four seasons of the world, Jack, Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida, have to keep the planet from destruction on a colossal scale, sacrificing their relationships with each other in order to do so. Things turn bitter when their friendships are strained, but a small reminder makes them realize what -and who- they're missing. Of course, it was just by mere coincidence that it happened, and not at all a part of Pitch's convoluted plot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for giving this a shot, I hope you all stick around to the end (of either the chapter or the series, whichever floats your boat) and I hope you all like it!
> 
> I'll just say this now, this is not a High School AU. It says so in the description, please don't think I posted the wrong story, this is it.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! Oh, also, I'm still looking for some betas to help me out with this story, so if you're interested, please contact me!

Darkness… That was the only thing he could see, the only thing he could feel. A thought that he was alone passed through his mind, -but no, no, he wasn’t alone. There was something else there, something…. calling to him. Not calling his name, but crying out to him, reaching out _for him_. And as the cries got louder, he became aware of the whip and tug of the clothes on his body, in a way he wasn’t sure if he was being cradled by something or if there was nothing at all. His mind felt weak and his eyes were heavy, much like they are when trying to open them while dreaming.

But open them he did, albeit slowly and half-way. Everything was fuzzy, and he could only see as though he were looking through a pinhole, but in the center of that pinhole was the creature. A creature beating two extended limbs in a panic and reaching, reaching, but never quite grabbing. Soon, that darkness, that nothingness-but-yet-possibly-somethingness, gave way to a great, pulsing, stinging heat that licked along his back at first, then clawed its way across the rest of him, yet he could do nothing. The pinhole he squinted through began to burn -or was it his eyes that were burning?- and the creature let out a cry like he had never heard it bellow before, but had definitely heard echoed in the forest by a poor, defenseless animal left by it’s pack to die.

He thought at first to comfort it, to make it understand that there was nothing to be scared of, but when the enormous heat turned into a skin-peeling burn was when he had realized the error in that thought. He was falling, he remembered. _They_ were falling. Into what he wasn’t sure, but it was definitely going to be the end, and when that realization hit him, he finally let out a scream.

And once he screamed, he felt his whole body jolt, slamming back into his senses harder than colliding with a truck at seventy miles per hour, and suddenly there was something beneath him, something he was now sitting up on. His breathing was laboured, his hair slicked with sweat, and his clothes clinging to him as though they, too, had witnessed this nightmare, fearing the furnace of what he was sure was Hell.

Shaky legs slid off the edge of the bed, lifting himself up while his hands searched for something to hold himself against, and found it in his bedpost, deciding to lean on it for a minute longer. When he felt the tremor subside for a moment and his breath catch up, he shuffled towards the bathroom, swallowing a few times to help his dried throat.

He leaned against the bathroom sink, one hand holding him up, the other running through his hair, pushing it back and to the sides, making it stick out in various places and lay flat in others. He looked at himself, the dark ringed eyes and pale skin dotted with a handful too many freckles, falling from his cheeks down his neck and resting at his shoulders, though a few strayed to his chest.

Another nightmare, another morning started much too early for the poor high school boy of fifteen, though the ache in his body and the panic in his heart made him feel like he was going on forty.

He glanced at the clock -he set one up in almost every room, he never liked being late- and saw he still had three hours until he was _supposed_ to get up, then silently applauded his subconscious for at least getting an extra ten minutes of sleep this night, though it was not a new record. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering if he would be able to just doze off standing, but it was fruitless. He defaulted to splashing cold water in his face, rubbing it in with his hands, then soap, and finally rinsing, patting it dry with a soft brown towel, and resuming his staring contest with himself. He was rudely interrupted by the beep of his phone -a text message, but this early? He wondered who it would be as he walked over, picking up the device and squinting at the painfully bright little screen.

_Happy Birthday, Mr. Horrendous!_

Ah, so it was, he realized. He smiled a little, shuffling back towards the bathroom and looking into the mirror, thinking for a time, then restating in his head, _it’s still too early for a highschool kid of sixteen to be awake!_

He couldn’t hold back a soft laugh, then muttered a gentle, “Happy Birthday, Hiccup,” to himself, turning on the shower and stripping down, hoping to scrub away all the sweat from his recurring nightmare and begin his day.

When he was cleaned enough, dried, and dressed, he was sitting on the bed, pulling on his socks. The left one had a hole in it and it would sometimes let his big toe slip through, but he tried to ignore it. When it was on comfortably, he twisted the cloth around the hole to try and keep it from opening up again, then quickly slipped on his shoe, hoping to trap the twisted cloth underneath his foot. He wouldn’t really know if it would stay, but for the time being, it was the best he could do. When his shoe was on, he let out a sigh and put his foot back on the ground, greeted by an estranged ‘ _clunk_ ’ sound, as though metal had fallen onto the floor.

He paused, sitting in the silence and half-darkness, looking around the floor to see if he may have knocked something off the bed and onto the ground, but he only saw wooden panels. He lifted his left foot again, then placed it back down with the same force as he had the first time, but this time he heard the muffled ‘ _tap_ ’ of the sole of his shoe meeting with the ground. He hummed in thought, lifting his foot and placing it back down a few more times before dismissing it as a morning delusion, something that happened often to him. He stood, intent on making himself one hell of a breakfast before he had to drag himself to school.

And so, with a stomach full and hour and a half left before class even started, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III began his walk to school, sporting his ever favourite mud-brown jacket lined with fake, scraggly fur along the hood, a t-shirt chosen by random underneath, and well-worn jeans that he had fallen in plenty of times back when he still had a skateboard. The more embarrassing holes had been patched up, saving him five dollars and a trip to the mall.

The school was a half an hour away, but Hiccup managed to make it a forty-five minute journey, taking his time to wander, stare, and inspect anything he thought to be interesting, which was surprising that he could with the number of times he had walked down that very path. When the school was in sight, he decided to hurry and find his friends, so he could spend the next forty-five minutes with them rather than sitting somewhere alone and doing his homework.

Oh, right, he still had homework, didn’t he? He clicked his tongue, disappointed in himself. He used to be so up to date with that stuff, but ever since he met-

“Hiccup!”

Oh, speak of the _devil_.

Hiccup nearly flinched when Jack ran up to him, stopping just shy of colliding into the scrawny teen and sending him flying.

“Morning!” He was greeted with a wide, lopsided grin and bright morning eyes. Only Jack would be this happy in the morning, in total contrast with Hiccup, “What are you doing, walking around with such a serious face? People might get the wrong impression and mistake you for _thinking_!”

“Oh, har, har. Actually, I was just thinking about you.” Hiccup informed him, stepping around Jack and heading towards the benches they usually sat at, but Jack stayed at his heels, an interested noise coming from him.

“ _Oh?_ ” He practically purred, eyes saying ‘ _flirt_ ’ but grin saying ‘ _taunt_ ’.

“Mhm, I was thinking about how you totally infected me with your stupidity and penchant for doing _everything_ last minute.”

Jack laughed, tucking both hands in his pockets and walking alongside the brunet now, sitting a bit too close to him when they reached the bench, “Forget to do your homework again?”

“Bingo.” Hiccup huffed, putting his backpack on his lap and shuffling through it, finding last night’s math homework and pulling it out, “you wouldn’t have the answers, would you?”

Jack gasped, putting a hand to his chest and feigning shock and disappointment, “Whatever could you mean? You intending to copy my hard earned answers?!” They stared at each other for a minute, then the both of them snorted and Jack pulled out his own answer sheet, handing it to him.

“Where’d you get it?” Hiccup asked, looking over the work before copying down the major points, occasionally getting a few ‘wrong’ so it wasn’t too suspicious.

“Rapunzel emailed them to me yesterday. Can you believe her? She finished it _during_ class. What a nerd.”

“Don’t be jealous of what you don’t have.” Hiccup muttered, voice monotone as he focused on the answers. Jack just laughed again, letting him copy answers in silence. When Hiccup was just about done, he realized Jack had brought his feet onto the bench, his back now pressed against Hiccup’s shoulder with his chin tucked to his chest and his eyes closed. Hiccup pursed his lips, looking at the brunet boy, then looked over towards the entrance to the school, spotting a familiar mop of red.

“Merida!” He chirped, standing up immediately and waving his arms to her. Jack let out a (very manly) shriek when he was suddenly without a backrest and fell, feeling his head slam against the bench. Hiccup payed him no mind, even when he heard a hiss and felt Jack shove him for revenge. Merida finally waved back, much less enthusiastically than Hiccup, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Jack sat up, eyes squinted and hand rubbing the sure-to-be bruise on the back of his head, “jeez, you’re obsessed with her, Hic.”

“I’m not!” Hiccup hissed, glaring at the still sitting Jack, only getting a sly smile in return.

“Are you going to ask her to the Season’s Festival? I bet she’ll _love_ it.” He teased, leaning in closer to the smaller boy and nudging him with his shoulder. When he didn’t get a bite, he continued, voice raising in pitch and a horrible attempt of a Scottish accent as he cried, “Oh, Hiccup! Yer soo manly ‘nd sweet ‘nd emotional! Season’s Festival? Oh, ahf coourse I’d like tah go!”

“If you think I sound anything like that, you might have to go to a doctor to get those ears checked!” Merida huffed, but she grinned anyway and shared a short laugh with Jack before turning her eyes to Hiccup, “so what’s all this about the Season’s Festival, eh? You want to ask me out?”

“N-no! Jack’s just being stupid!” Hiccup protested, but his cheeks heated up and the way his eyes searched for anything besides Merida to stare at was an obvious give away. Merida smiled at him, then put a hand on his shoulder only briefly before kicking Jack’s legs off of the bench so she could sit.

“Punzie’ll be a little late today, she said she has a doctor’s appointment. Probably won’t get here ‘till second period.” She informed them, having a brief foot-space fight with Jack and ultimately winning, getting the bench-area between the two to herself. Hiccup sat on the other side of Merida, glancing at her phone when she pulled it out to text Rapunzel, “She’s always going to the doctor’s. Is something up with her?”

“She’s probably just faking it. Or all that hair is taking it’s toll on her!” Jack teased, getting a kick in the side from Merida and a warning look.

“She’s just… growing up!” Merida said shortly, finishing her message and putting her phone away, then she settled her eyes on Jack and smiled, nudging him with her foot, “So, speaking of the Season’s Festival…”

Jack’s eyes suddenly widened and he tensed, “Whoa-whoa whoa, no, no, don’t tell me you’re going to ask me to that!”

Hiccup nearly choked on his own spit, but he relaxed when Merida replied with a loud, “What? No!”

Merida sat up straighter, poking Jack’s shoulder roughly, making him wince, “I was going to say that you should ask Rapunzel, you lanky little man!”

“Hey, us other lanky guys take offense to that!” Hiccup chimed in, getting a laugh from the both of them and a semi-genuine apology from the redhead, “Anyway, I didn’t know Jack and Rapunzel had a thing! When was someone going to tell me?”

“Oh, it’s not a thing yet!” Merida replied, a glint in her eyes as she stared at Jack, but the brunet merely shrugged off her look and sighed.

“It’s not going to be a thing! She doesn’t float my boat. I’m a solo kind of guy, anyway.” Jack muttered coolly, pulling his hood on and trying his best to look mysterious, and none of them cared to point out how badly he was at it.

“She’s going to ask you if you don’t ask her, y’know!” Merida sighed, “Just do it as friends before she does it as something else, then!”

Jack still refused, crossing his arms this time and turning his side towards them, looking out at the slowly filling school grounds.

“Why not? You’ve got to have a reason, Mr. Solo.” Merida prodded, her favourite method of teasing slipping out. She jabbed her finger at him harder, getting an irritated huff from Jack.

“Leave it alone!” He demanded, but now Hiccup was curious too, and the two leaned towards Jack, intent on hearing it from his own lips.

“I said, stop it!” Jack whined when he tried to scoot away, only to have Hiccup get up and settle on the other side of him, trapping him between the two teens who just got _closer_.

“Tell us!” Merida begged, grabbing onto one of his sleeves and tugging.

“Come on, please?” Hiccup added, grinning to try and show he meant no harm.

Jack cursed under his breath, then elbowed the two away, getting a yelp from one and a chuckle from the other, then he sighed and said, “it’s because I’m already planning on asking someone else to the Season’s Festival, alright? Now leave it alone.”

Merida and Hiccup looked at each other, their curiosity even worse, but when Jack wore the expression he had, they knew better than to push it. He was often the happy little ball of destructive sunshine and pranks, but when he was annoyed, he was _annoyed_. He didn’t carry the title of ‘Prank King’ for nothing, and if anyone deserved such a title, it was surely Jack Frost.

After a somewhat uncomfortable silence, Merida and Hiccup relaxing and Jack still with his arms crossed and his hood pulled down past his eyes, Merida brought up the math homework, wondering if either of them had the answer to fifteen.

“Fifteen?” Hiccup questioned, eyebrows furrowing, “Weren’t we supposed to do evens?”

“What? No, we were assigned odds!” Merida scoffed, frowning at Hiccup who had been messing with his shoe laces.

“No, we had odds _Monday_!” Hiccup argued, getting a small nod from Jack, though he remained silent.

“We had _evens_ Monday! We had odds _last_ Monday! Today, we have odds!” Merida tried reasoning, and Jack pulled his hood back a bit, he and Hiccup giving her confused and doubtful looks.

“We have evens!” The boys said in unison, Hiccup a bit louder than Jack, who was still sulking from the Season’s conversation.

“We have odds!” Merida challenged, not stepping down.

“Rapunzel sent me evens yesterday! She said she did them in class.” Jack said, uncrossing his arms now and putting his hands on his knees, “She’d never do the wrong homework!”

Merida stared at Jack for a silent moment, then at Hiccup before clearing her throat and lifting both hands, her voice slow and emphasized as if she were talking to toddlers, “Rapunzel is in Algebra two”

Silence, now. They all stared at one another, and when the boys met eyes, panic erupted between them.

“Algebra two!?” They both shouted, Hiccup now digging through his backpack and Jack pulling out his own sheet of answers.

“This is Algebra two?!” He nearly cried, “No wonder why she was so confused as to why I needed it!” He groaned and held his head in his hands, muttering insults to himself while Hiccup scrawled away on his paper, trying to get as many questions as he could before the bell rang. Merida just sat beside the two, laughing hard and holding her middle, gasping out how she just _had_ to tell Rapunzel about this.

During break, a small period where students were allowed to buy themselves a snack and chat for about fifteen minutes between second period and study hall, Merida and Hiccup bumped into each other and Merida pulled him towards the vendor line, promising to buy him something if he just stood in line with her. It was always a long wait, unless you got there within the first two minutes, and the food was always overpriced and crappy, but it was better than nothing. Plus, Hiccup sort of felt like a cool kid whenever he got something from the vendor. It was silly, even to him, but he let himself imagine.

When they got closer to the front of the line, Merida turned to Hiccup and asked, without bringing too much attention to them, “So do you really want to go with me to the Season’s Festival?”

Hiccup was shocked, so much that he quickly dissolved to stammering and “Uh, well, you see….” Merida laughed softly, bumping her shoulder against Hiccup’s arm.

“I’d love to go with you.” She said happily, now silencing the brunet beside her.

“You mean…. as friends?” He finally asked, the two of them shuffling a few inches closer to the vendor.

“I mean as a date, Hiccup.” She sighed, rolling her eyes in an obvious way, then smiling to show she was just playing, “I mean, if you want to go as my date.”

“O-of course I do!” Hiccup agreed quickly, then cleared his throat and repeated with a softer, lower voice, “Of course I do.”

Merida and he laughed together, then they finally reached the front of the line. When they both had their snacks, Merida turned back to Hiccup and asked, “So… tomorrow at four? Pick me up then?”

“Y-yeah! Yeah, four, yeah, sounds…. sounds great!” He quickly agreed, his dopey grin unfaltering and he fiddled with the little bag of Goldfish crackers as he walked backwards, towards his Study Hall class.

Merida nodded a little and said strictly, but still smiling, “Just don’t forget! Four exactly!”

“Four exactly!” Hiccup echoed, then watched as Merida turned and left for her own Study Hall class. Hiccup couldn’t help but hoot in joy and excitement, then rush towards his class, plopping down in his seat with little care, kicking his feet out in front of him and laughing victoriously to himself, getting a few odd looks from his classmates, but nothing too extreme.

Jack soon came in himself, sharing the class with Hiccup, and when he sat beside the gleeful boy, he cocked a brow and questioned the reason for his sudden happiness.

“Oh, no reason at all!” Hiccup said snootily, wanting to wait until he could tell both Jack and Rapunzel at the same time. Jack just smiled curiously at him, then shook his head, deciding the boy was a lost cause.

“Hey, Hiccup?” Jack whispered when ‘class’ had begun and the other students read their books and listened to their music, “Can I ask you… something weird?”

Hiccup hummed as a response, looking over his graded math homework with a frown and a pencil stuck between his teeth, rolling it back and forth as he thought. Jack leaned a little closer, licking his lips and taking a breath to speak, but he seemed to think twice about it and he took out a piece of paper instead, grabbing Hiccup’s pencil bag that sat on their table and going through it until he found a pen.

With his note written, he placed the paper on top of Hiccup’s math homework, distracting the brunet and getting his full attention. Hiccup squinted his eyes and read the note.

_What do you think of me?_

Hiccup tilted his head a bit, then looked at Jack, confused. Jack just looked back at him, a curious light in his eyes, but when Hiccup shrugged at him, Jack clicked his tongue and took the note back, scribbling again. Hiccup leaned towards him, wanting to read what he wrote as he wrote it, but he didn’t have time before Jack shoved it towards him again.

_I mean, do you like me?_

“Of course I do.” Hiccup whispered, getting hushed by their instructor immediately, then sighed and used his occasionally chewed pencil to write back.

_We’re friends, aren’t we? Why wouldn’t I like you?_

Jack huffed, then thought for a moment.

_I mean, do you LIKE me._

Hiccup squinted at the page, shaking his head as he tried to understand where this was going.

_Jack what are you talking about_

Jack pressed his lips into a line, then took a deep breath and wrote out the next sentence with long, heavy strokes.

_Do you want to go to the Season’s Festival with me as my date?_

Hiccup felt his heart stop and his stomach grow heavy. His eyes couldn’t stop running over that last line. His hand was -surprisingly- very stable, but his foot began to tap, and from the corner of his eye he could see Jack beginning to shrink in on himself, hood pulled up and shoulders hunched, sinking low into his chair.

Hiccup put the paper face-down on the table, leaving it there for a minute, hand pressed down on it as he thought. He looked at the clock, beginning to feel sweat bead at his forehead. Perhaps he should ask the teacher to turn on the air conditioning? He glanced at the other students, realizing that he was the only one who felt this hot, this uncomfortable. He lifted the paper again, hoping it would have changed from before, but it still read the same question, and he reacted the very same way.

He slapped it back down again, clenching his jaw and staring wide eyed at his desk. He needed a way out of this, out of this confrontation. He wasn’t built for this sort of thing. Then he realized he had an easy way out; Merida.

He flipped the paper over and wrote quickly,then put it in front of Jack a bit too harshly. When he pulled his hand away, he let out a little breath, feeling just a tad better.

Jack leaned forward to read.

_I’m already going with Merida. Sorry._

He leaned back, stuffing his hands into his pockets and letting out a little breath from his nose. Hiccup didn’t move to retrieve the note, though he wanted to take it and tear it to pieces. The scowl from Jack implied that he wanted to do much the same, except possibly to Merida rather than a piece of paper.

Hiccup and Jack didn’t run into each other for the rest of the day. At lunch, Merida asked where Jack had gone, but Hiccup dismissed it with a simple, “You know him, here one moment, gone the next.”

“Maybe he went to ask whoever it was to the Season’s Festival?” Merida mused with a grin, getting a sheepish smile in return.

“Maybe…”

“Poor Punzie, she wanted to go with him so badly…” Merida sighed, taking out her phone with the ring of a new text, “Oh, she’s on her way. I guess her club got out earlier.”

“Yeah…” Hiccup muttered, mind still stuck on Jack.

If Jack had asked earlier, Hiccup wondered, what would Hiccup’s reaction be to the question? He sort of didn’t want to know, but at the same time, he really did…

Probably best left for another night’s ponder, though. Today and tomorrow he would have his plate full.

Soon after Merida and Hiccup begun eating, Rapunzel showed up, all smiles like any other day, and she sat herself beside the redhead when she saw Jack wasn’t there. They said their hellos and Rapunzel took out her own lunch, a sealed bowl filled with now cold hazelnut soup.

“So, Mer, did you ask Jack?” She asked excitedly, nudging a bit closer to the girl, only to get an apologetic look.

“Sorry, he said he was planning on asking someone else.” Merida gave a little shrug, then said, “He’s probably lying. I bet he’ll be there alone like every other year!”

Rapunzel deflated a little, frowning just slightly, but she seemed to get over it quickly, “Well, if that’s true, we can all go as friends again.”

Merida grinned and looked at Hiccup, who was still a bit lost in thought, but her smile was not lost on him. He blushed and cleared his throat, getting Rapunzel’s curious attention.

“Why’s Hiccup blushing? Is he…” Rapunzel gasped, smile back tenfold, “Did he get a date? Oh, who is she?” she reached over and grabbed his hands, squeezing them and waiting for his answer, which was just a quiet nod towards Merida.

“Oh, he’s still shy!” Merida laughed a little, reaching over and pinching his cheek, getting a surprised hey! from him, “I’m going with him. As a date.”

Rapunzel looked between the two, dumbfounded, then begun to laugh, “So you finally asked! Oh, now Jack owes me!”

Hiccup rolled his eyes; of course those two would bet on something personal and stupid like this. And of course, he had to be in the middle of it.

“Can you not bet on me for _once_?” Hiccup groaned, getting a grin from the girl.

“Oh, but if I didn’t bet, I wouldn’t get my lunch money!”

They fell into silence afterwards, eating their respective lunches and occasionally mentioning a class or a teacher.

When they had about fifteen minutes left, Hiccup recalled Rapunzel’s absence and looked at her, “Hey, why are you going to the doctor’s so often lately?”

Rapunzel blushed and Merida sighed, the two of them looking at each other, silently debating on what they should tell him.

“It’s just… a lady’s thing, Hiccup. You wouldn’t understand.” Rapunzel finally said, pulling her hair over her shoulder and beginning to braid it, like she usually does when she’s embarrassed. Hiccup cocked a brow, opening his mouth to ask, but Merida shushed him with a look. Hiccup pressed his lips into a line, deciding that maybe this wasn’t the best topic for them.

The rest of the day came and went, and Hiccup found himself lying in bed at around midnight, not wanting to sleep, but feeling so very tired. He didn’t want to have that nightmare again, not when the Season’s Festival was tomorrow. His eyelids grew heavy,though, closing before he realized. He could feel the familiar pressure of sleep coming over him, then a not-so-familiar pressure on his chest, as if a large head was nuzzling against him.

He frowned, eyes still closed and brain half gone, and he lifted a hand to try and swat away the head, but his hand met with nothing. He wondered vaguely if he even lifted his hand, and tried again, but now it felt like his arm was being held down. He struggled a little, that pressure on his chest lifting off of him, then suddenly a loud roar echoed through his ears, causing him to gasp and jump, sitting up quickly in his bed. He found himself in his room, of course, short of breath and shaking.

Was he dreaming just now? He looked at the clock, then groaned. It was one in the morning, he must of dozed off. He didn’t feel very rested, though, and he certainly didn’t have the same nightmare as before… He briefly wondered what it meant for him, laying back down since he wasn’t drenched like every other night. He pulled the blankets back up to the chin, feeling tired, but unable to sleep. He stared up at the darkness, thinking about the roar. It was almost the same one as the creature falling after him, but it sounded so much clearer, so much more real….

He rolled onto his side and stared at the clock. Now he had to figure out what to do until four. They didn’t have school today, since most of the students would be participating in the Festival…

He sighed. It was going to be another long day.

Despite how he spent it, Hiccup was still consumed by thought. The most prominent one was, of course, how he would act around Merida during the Festival. He figured the best way to go at it would be to act how he is, but he also wanted to impress her. One look in the mirror and he knew being himself wasn’t exactly “impressive”, and that if he really wanted to woo her, he’d need to find some sort of skill game or puzzle to win for her.

The second thought was, of course, Jack. He had texted him when the conventional sixteen/seventeen year old would be awake, asking if he was going to the festival, but he had yet to get a response, making the teen wonder if their friendship will end just because of a little bit of rejection. Hiccup had hoped not, he really enjoyed his relationship with Jack, but he didn’t want to be ‘boyfriend-zoned’ or any other ridiculous name there is for such a concept. He just wished Jack would reply, and soon. He really needed some sort of answer to whether or not things will be normal between them.

Hiccup sighed to himself, currently reclined in his desk chair, staring helplessly at his phone. Whenever the screen went black, he gave it a minute, then turned it on again, thinking he just missed the buzz of a text message, but his inbox was always empty. He checked the time, he still had an hour before he had to get Merida.

God, he was nervous. He didn’t want to look like a total fool in front of the girl he liked! He looked down at himself, wondering if what he was wearing was suitable. They didn’t need anything fancy, and anything other than sneakers would be murder on his feet. He was sure they’d spend the majority of it walking around, like past years. He would probably just wear his brown jacket, since it was the only warm one he had. Not to mention it was incredibly soft and light, so he wouldn’t look like a stuffed sausage walking on chopsticks.

He nearly jumped in his seat when his phone finally vibrated in his palm, and when he looked, he could feel his stomach roll. Jack replied, and now he didn’t even want to read it.

_No._

That was all it said. Hiccup pursed his lips, then sent a message back.

_Are we alright? Are we still friends?_

He didn’t have to wait as long this time, luckily, when he got Jack’s reply.

_What are you stupid? Course we are._

Hiccup sighed in relief, then smiled and leaned back for a moment, letting it sink it.

_Good._

He got up now, feeling much better about the day, and much more focused on his date with Merida. He grabbed a different shirt and his coat, then decided to head out a little early, planning to make it to Merida’s at four. She didn’t live as far from the school as he did, and luckily for him, her house was on the way. He took the familiar path, not caring for the interesting little crevices and niches he had yet to explore, and when he got to Merida’s home, he checked his watch. He had five minutes left, and he wanted to ring the bell on time. He stood in front of the door, hands in his pockets and eyes on the kitchen window, hoping no one will see him before four. He didn’t want to be creepy, but he wanted to be a smart-ass, just this once.

He took in a breath, then let it out through his nose, watching his clock. As time ticked closer, he got more and more anxious. Once it was 3:59, Hiccup’s finger was on the doorbell, ready to push. He could feel his muscles tense and relax, his nose itched, but he ignored it. His eyes were beginning to burn, but he dared not to blink. He licked his lips quickly, then practically slammed the doorbell when it turned four.

Almost immediately afterwards, the door flung open, Merida in view. She smiled at Hiccup’s dumbfounded stare, his eyes taking in Merida in a forest green dress, cutting off just above her knees. Her brown boots matched the brown belt around her midsection and the bracelets she wore, most likely carved from some sort of wood then stained. Her hair was pinned out of her face and over one shoulder, and _oh God_ she was beautiful.

Hiccup felt himself freeze up, then he cleared his throat and stammered “I, uh, I was planning on changing when we got there…”

Merida snorted out a laugh and took his hand, tugging him with her away from the door which she closed behind herself and towards the sidewalk, “You look just fine like this.”

As they drew closer to the Festival, Hiccup felt a sudden roll in his stomach when he realized that Merida must have seen him waiting outside. She would tease him for that for ages! He considered bringing it up, but she had yet to draw attention to it. He didn’t want to remind her, or make her think of it, so he bit his lip and kept quiet. Of course, that was the exact moment when Merida decided to say, “You know, when I say ‘four exactly’, arriving five or ten minutes before is okay too.”

Hiccup groaned in embarrassment, hiding his face in his hands and muttering out an apology, but a gentle punch to the arm and a smile from the redhead beside him made him relax and smile back.

“I’m telling Rapunzel about this when I see her!” She said with a wink, Hiccup already begging her not to.

When they arrived at the Festival, they found it was already in full swing. Music was blasting through speakers set up at almost every corner and every little shop, streamers and banners and confetti hung and fell from rooftops and poles and in between buildings. People of all different ages were walking through the narrow street, stopping at shops to buy treats and poppers and firecrackers for later on that night. Lights were strung up everywhere, but since it was still day, they stayed unlit. Near the end of the road that led to a moderately small field was a ferris wheel, spinning chairs, and even a dunk ‘em tank.

Merida gripped Hiccup’s arm, smiling excitedly, “Well, shall I beat you in a game or two or should we start with the eating contest first?”

Hiccup couldn’t help but bark out a laugh, looking at her challengingly, “Who says you’d beat me? Loser has to buy the winner a bag of cotton candy!”

“Hey, what kind of cheap date are you?” She joked, pushing him lightly, then running ahead towards the game stalls, Hiccup close behind.

Game after game and Merida proved herself as the victor, so Hiccup decided he needed to find a game he could win at. The more he looked, though, the worse off he seemed to be. There wasn’t one game stall there that would test his wit rather than his strength, and Merida was just as great at accuracy as he was.

He and Merida walked around, Hiccup on the lookout for a game he would be at least moderately good at, and Merida just enjoying the lowering sun. As Hiccup scanned the area, a familiar blue hoodie caught his attention. He frowned a bit, immediately thinking of Jack and wondering what he was doing here. He said he wasn’t going to come…

“Hey, Merida?” He said slowly, getting the redhead’s attention. He couldn’t think of a good enough reason aside from, “I have to go to the bathroom…”

Merida let him go, promising to meet him at the funnel cake stall so they could eat, and Hiccup ran off, wanting to catch up to the blue-hoodie, weaving through wave after wave of festival-goers, always just out of reach of him. When he finally neared, however long it took him, he reached out a hand and grabbed his shoulder, calling out, “Jack! What are you-”

But when the boy turned, he fell silent, eyes wide and embarrassment rising. The boy had silver hair and bright blue eyes, practically glowing in contrast with his almost deathly pale skin. His face was the same, but at the same time, it was so _different_ from Jack’s. The boy stared him down, not confused, not surprised, just neutral, and Hiccup couldn’t help but feel… out of place.

He let go of the guy, taking a few steps away from him. He wanted to apologize for mistaking him, but those blue eyes wouldn’t let him go. Everything around him felt hazy and, for the first time in a very long time, Hiccup felt lost. He took a few more steps back, and the silver-haired boy stepped closer, making panic shoot up through Hiccup.

The boy reached out a hand, and the first thing out of Hiccup’s mouth was, “Don’t! Don’t touch me!” but he didn’t know why. Right after those words left his lips, Hiccup just froze, staring at the guy who stopped moving closer in confusion and distrust.

The guy stared for a while longer, then blinked. And when he blinked, Hiccup could feel his muscles relax, then tense again as he turned and ran back, away from this Jack-impersonator, back to Merida and the Festival and the real world where there weren’t any strange pale men with hypnotically confusing blue eyes.

When he found Merida again, he ran right to her, stopping at her side, panting. Merida gave him a confused look, funnel cake in her hands, and she asked him if he was alright.

“I…. I was just… really hungry…” He breathed out, looking up at her with a half-grin. She smiled in return, but her eyes were filled with doubt.

“I would have saved you some! I’m not _that_  greedy!” She teased, getting a weak laugh from the boy who was just starting to catch his breath, “Maybe you shouldn’t have any, though. You sound really winded if you had just come from the bathroom!”

“H-hey, I take offense to that!” Hiccup protested as they walked over to a little table so they could eat. Soon, Hiccup’s worries were pushed to the back of his mind. All he had on his mind now was Merida, and she was a great thing to think about. As they ate, they talked and laughed and even flirted a bit, though she was much more inept at flirting than Hiccup was, but that didn’t matter so much to him at the moment.

Soon after, they decided to watch the rest of the sunset from the Ferris Wheel, just to make it feel like a real, movie-esque date. Hiccup wanted to ask if she wanted to kiss when they got to the top, but he was way too tongue tied and nervous to even hint at it, so he went along blindly with her. Of course, it was apparently every _other_ couple’s idea to do the same thing, so when they finally hit the ferris wheel, it was already dark and the little fairy lights were being turned on. They got in their car and sat side by side, slowly going up and everything else becoming smaller. Merida gasped softly, pointing out how some of the lights blinked while others changed colours. Hiccup just couldn’t help but watch Merida herself.

When she noticed, she turned a fair shade of red, then looked away and smiled, “Hiccup, today was really fun…” She whispered to him, getting a soft ‘uh huh’ in return. She played with her hair for a bit, and they stopped at the top. This was it, Hiccup thought, this was the perfect time to kiss her. He felt his palms get sweaty and his heart started to race. He leaned forward a little bit, getting her attention. He squeezed his hands into fists, and she kept her eyes on him, then moved closer herself.

Slowly, they inched closer and closer together, leaning forward towards one another, and right when their lips were about to meet, their car shook and the wheel moved, the two of them no longer at the top. Hiccup cursed and Merida laughed, both of them knowing that their moment had just passed, that they wouldn’t be able to make a movie-esque kiss this night, but regardless, Merida moved forward again, grabbing Hiccup by the cheeks, and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to him, getting a bug-eyed stare in return, his face frozen in a pucker. She laughed more, snorting a bit as she did, which just made Hiccup’s face melt into a smile.

“I had a lot of fun.” She said again as their car went down one by one.

“Me too…” Hiccup agreed, trying to keep cool, but inside he was practically shouting with joy, and his muscles twitched to punch the air.

“We should do this again sometime.” She suggested, playing with her hair flirtatiously. Hiccup just nodded, unable to keep from smiling at her, even as they got off the ferris wheel. After walking towards the entrance of the Season’s Festival, chatting lightly and laughing with one another, Hiccup caught sight of that blue hoodie again. The kid was standing on the other side of the street the entrance to the Festival pointed to, just staring at the two of them.

“Hey… do you see that guy? Doesn’t he look like Jack?” Hiccup asked Merida, getting a confused look from the redhead before she started looking around for who Hiccup was talking about. The Jack-look-alike just stared, hands in his pockets and hoodie pulled up over his head like before. Hiccup couldn’t help but walk towards him again, wondering who this kid was.

Merida called out to him, asking where he was going, but Hiccup didn’t respond immediately. He got to the middle of the street when the Jack-look-alike took a hand from his pocket, holding his palm up and his fingers outstretched. Hiccup watched with amazement and surprise as the air seemed to pulse, the space above the boy’s hand beginning to fill with light and snow, then he tilted his hand to the side, allowing the snow to fall and melt on the road.

Hiccup couldn’t comprehend it at first. Something was wrong with this guy, he couldn’t have just done that. He took a wary step back, but didn’t move any further. He could hear Merida calling out to him, but he didn’t turn to look at her. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what.

Was it because he looked like Jack? Maybe that was just rubbing him the wrong way? Mostly after their little spat the other day, maybe he just wasn’t ready to see Jack right now, or anyone who reminded him of the prankster.

Maybe it was because of the way the guy looked, as if he had been frozen then thawed and still couldn’t get warm enough. He was just so _pale_ and so _blue_ , he must have been sick or something.

Neither of those thoughts felt right, though, at least not to Hiccup. He kept wracking his brain, trying to figure out what it was about this guy, this oh-so-familiar guy that felt so _off_.

Then, it hit him. It wasn’t that something was wrong, oh, no, no, it definitely wasn’t that.

 _Everything here was wrong_.

Hiccup felt his lungs seize, his entire body suddenly feeling numb. The world began to spin and Hiccup stumbled backwards, trying to keep himself from falling over. The icy-haired boy smiled at him, not an unfriendly or a threatening smile, but an odd, inappropriate one for sure. Hiccup felt dizzy and he began to gasp for air. He quickly took in his surroundings, and even though everything _seemed_ right, he knew. He just knew how wrong it all was. He turned back to Merida, still calling out to him and asking -no, _begging_ him to come back to the sidewalk. He was scaring her. But that man, that blue eyed man on the other side of the road was scaring Hiccup much, much more. And even worse, this entire reality was currently crushing the breathless boy.

He felt the ground shake and crack, and everything began to unravel. His feet met air, and suddenly he was running. Running towards Merida, who continued to call out his name. Running to safety, to happiness, to the _love he dreamed of_ , and he thought, for a moment, that he would make it. That he would reach her and hold on to her and keep himself rooted to this delusion of a world where he was happy, where he was finally happy and loved and useful and with his friends, and just as his fingertips brushed the skin of her hand, he began to fall.

And he fell fast.

And he screamed hard.

And he woke up.

He sat up with a gasp, his chest feeling empty and his left leg terribly, awfully sore. He struggled to catch his breath, his mind racing at a mile a minute and it was fruitless for him to try and catch up. He ran his fingers through his hair, suddenly feeling angry, then depressed, then furious, then so, _so_ pained and alone. He couldn’t help but cry, and he slammed his fist into the ground beside him repeatedly, but nothing came of it except more pain.

He curled in on himself, hiding his face in his hands, then pressing them against his knees, shaking with each bitter sob and slowly rocking himself back and forth.

“So you’re awake?” Came a whisper, but he jumped all the same, his body reacting faster than his mind could and he threw his arms out in front of him, a sudden gust blowing past him and towards the intruder, who gracefully jumped out of the way, flipping backwards, then landing almost soundlessly on his bare feet.

“Why are you here?!” Hiccup yelled, “I could’ve hurt you!”

Jack walked towards the brunet, but Hiccup scooted away from him quickly, holding up an arm when Jack kneeled and reached out to him. The silver haired boy sighed, then smacked his arm down by the elbow.

“It’s fine.” He said soothingly, which was odd for him. He shook his sleeve until it was covering his hand, then he pressed it against Hiccup’s cheek, wiping away the tears and cleaning him up. Hiccup scrunched up his nose and closed his eyes, trying to move his head away, but Jack wouldn’t let him until he was finished. He stood and stepped away from him, giving him much needed space to calm down and gather himself up.

When he felt himself beginning to settle, he looked around, finding himself in a dark, damp room with a single door and window, which only let in moonlight that faded with each passing cloud. There was no bed, but he must have been laying on the blanket that was bunched up under him, his pillow kicked out of the way from his panic.

He didn’t need to ask where he was. It only took him a few minutes to recall what had happened. He just asked one question.

“How long was I asleep?”

Jack went back to the window, effortlessly lifting himself onto the window sill and sitting, tapping his staff against the floor to make ice patterns in the dirt. He let out a sigh, looking adamant to answer, but he did in a whisper anyways, “Almost fifty years… We all were.”

Hiccup’s head shot up, looking at Jack with worry, “You mean the-”

“No, not them. They’re alright.” Jack interrupted quickly, shaking his head, “I meant _we_.”

Hiccup’s brows furrowed, then he murmured, “But… They weren’t with us when Pitch…”

“He found them. Went after them right when we were down.” Jack explained, using his staff to hop off the window sill, but he kept his distance as he paced, “North and the others tried to warn them before Pitch got to them, but they weren’t quick enough.”

“Are they awake?” Hiccup asked nervously, getting a nod from the boy. He was relieved, of course, he didn’t want his friends to suffer like he did. The two fell quiet, Jack staring at the door and Hiccup staring at the ground, and the silence seemed to nag at him.

“Where’s Toothless?” He finally asked, getting a ghost of a laugh from Jack.

“Out by the globe with everyone else, waiting for you.” Hiccup smiled a little, really wanting to see his buddy again, but he was still feeling so emotionally drained by that dream.

A noise, like the Yetis walking around, echoed in the hall outside the room he and Jack were in, making Jack flinch and frown anxiously.

“I shouldn’t be in here. They’ll throw a fit if they catch us alone together.” He said quickly, going back to the window and opening it, crouching inside of it and getting ready to hop out. Hiccup just watched him, tilting his head when Jack paused, but didn’t look back at him.

“You know,” He said softly, “I dreamt of you. Who did you dream of?”

Hiccup frowned a little, then scratched his scalp and whispered, “Merida.”

Jack was quiet for a while, then he hummed and said, “Get ready. We have a lot of work to catch up on.” before hopping out the window and disappearing in a gust of snow.

Hiccup just stared at the window, head still tilted, then he sighed and let his head drop, rubbing the back of his neck. There was no point in dwelling on that fantasy now. Jack was right, if it really had been fifty years since Pitch’s attack, they really _did_ have work to catch up on. He forced himself up, the familiar scrape and clink of his prosthetic leg burning his ears, and he went to the door and pulled it open, being greeted by a Yeti who garbled its relief at seeing him awake, then urged him to follow.

They walked through what seemed like a labyrinth, but the Yeti sure knew its way. Hiccup stayed close by, limping a little on his sore leg, and when they finally reached the globe, he was greeted with tired but smiling faces, and a loud hurrah from North himself. When he was scooped up into a hug, though, he grunted and tried to worm out of it, but to no avail. Rapunzel was the second one to head over, throwing her arms around him happily. He smiled and hugged her back, asking her if she was alright.

“I’m fine. I was the last one he got to and the first to wake. I should be asking you that, Hiccup.” She cradled his cheek, merely a friendly gesture from her to him, and he accepted it gratefully.

“I’m fine. Just… out of sorts, I guess.” He said with a shrug. She just smiled at him, then both of their eyes shot towards the other side of the globe when they heard a familiar roar. Rapunzel quickly moved out of the way and Hiccup didn’t have to fake his smile this time, throwing his arms open when Toothless ran to him, practically jumping on him and literally throwing him to the floor, crouching over him and pressing his nose against Hiccup’s chest and neck. He chirped and growled at him as he tried to press himself closer to the boy, only to settle for half laying on him, making Hiccup huff out in pain and try to squirm out from under him.

“I missed you too, buddy.” Hiccup laughed out, finally able to sit up, and he pressed a hand against Toothless’ head, rubbing and scratching, then yelping himself when Toothless wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, wrapping his wings around the boy as well.

As he was being cocooned by his dragon friend, Merida made her way over, but stopped much further away than was probably necessary, “Feeling alright? Well rested?” She asked with a smile, trying to make light of the situation they were all in. Hiccup nodded, trying to push Toothless’ nose away from his ticklish neck.

“Good. We’ll need to get moving right away if we want to fix any of this.” She said quickly, turning back to Rapunzel and Jack, who were waiting closer towards the end of the room, “Hopefully Pitch won’t know we’re awake yet and we can get the world balanced again.”

“How bad is it?” Hiccup finally asked, getting back onto his feet, a hand still on Toothless’ head for comfort. He looked up at the globe, which glowed a dull red, the bright yellow little dots blinking like none of them have seen before.

“Well,” North answered, stepping up to the globe beside Hiccup, “it is not a lost cause yet! But it has been snowing where it should be scorching and raining when there should be wind. It is causing plenty of trouble out there.”

Hiccup glanced down at Toothless, then over towards the others, all three of them looking just as worried as he felt. He was worried, but he knew what he had to do. And so did the others. He thought quickly, brow knitted together and tapping his thumb against his chin.

“Alright, I’ll take Rapunzel on Toothless, Jack will take Merida. We’ll go together, going from Merida to me.” He decided quickly, pulling on Toothless’ saddle to make sure it was ready, then he got on, getting his foot in the right spot before Toothless trotted towards Rapunzel, letting her on behind Hiccup.

“Then what? We just… do what we did before?” Jack questioned, coming down from his perch and walking towards Merida, who regarded him with an uncomfortable but friendly smile.

“If what we did before was what kept the world from crashing, then yes.” She answered, letting Jack put an arm around her waist and in turn putting her arms around his neck, holding on tightly despite the fact that they were still grounded.

“We’ll start where the summer’s supposed to be.” Hiccup instructed, his voice not exactly the most dictating, but at least he kept it from wavering like it usually did, “Ready?”

Merida and Jack nodded, and North hurried to open up the moon-window for Toothless to squeeze through.

Jack and Merida went first, Merida letting out a short yelp when the winter spirit bolted through the window. Hiccup watched them for a moment, then looked back at Rapunzel, getting a reassuring smile as she bunched her hair together on her lap, wrapping some of it around Hiccup’s waist for safety.

“Hiccup!” North called out before they took off, getting both his and Rapunzel’s attention, “Before you go, I want to ask… Will you be ok?”

“I’m fine.” Hiccup said with a half-smile, giving the man a confused look, but getting a serious one in return.

“Because if Pitch is still after you…” North sighed, looking extremely worried, “He might not hesitate to do something...more drastic.”

Hiccup’s smile dropped, then he looked back up towards the cloud-blocked night sky, “If he wanted us dead, he would’ve killed us in the beginning, wouldn’t he?”

North stayed quiet, but Hiccup didn’t want to dwell on what that meant, so he urged Toothless into the air, he and Rapunzel pressing themselves down on the dragon’s back so that they fit through the circular window, then they were off, and it wasn’t until a few minutes of flying through the snow that they caught up to Merida and Jack.

“Took you long enough.” Jack quipped, not too jokingly, but Hiccup shrugged it off.

“We should hurry. At this rate, we won’t even make it to the first spot before next year.” Hiccup said in return, getting a cold glance from the other boy.

“Merida, dig in my pocket. I borrowed one of those snow globes from North.” Jack said with a grin, getting a disciplinary shove from the redhead before she reached into his pocket.

“Where to first?” She asked, holding the globe close so she wouldn’t drop it.

“Africa!” Rapunzel said quickly, “If we’re dropping off Merida first, let’s start there!”

“Alright then, Africa it is!” Merida declared, then threw the snow globe, casting it at least twenty feet ahead of them, and it burst with colour and more snow, a brief glimpse of the country shown to them from the sky, then it spun and was sucked into itself, like a sink drain, and a portal appeared, letting the four of them squeeze through, then spitting them out unceremoniously above a snow covered Africa.

“Let’s get to work!” Merida huffed out, and the four of them aimed for the ground, getting as close as they can without drawing attention before Jack let Merida go, letting her fall from a height no human would be able to survive. They pulled back up, getting out of the way quickly, before she touched the ground, then watched.

They were unable to see the redhead land safely, if she even landed at all, but right when her feet slammed into the ground, they could see a giant wave of heat burst from where she must have fallen to, blowing outwards and upwards, causing such a dramatic shift that they were sure the rest of the world would be shocked into silence. The snow melted in seconds, and all of this water glistened in the newfound sun as the heavy clouds dispersed, like they would in a time-lapsed video. The trees, however sparse they were, seemed to shimmy and shake as leaves sprouted and fruits grew, the leaves growing a brilliant green.

Then, the heat wave began to move, and they knew Merida was running. She had a lot of ground to cover if she wanted to restore balance to her quarter of the Earth, and they really shouldn’t be standing there much longer if they needed to do the same.

“Rapunzel next.” Jack said, then took off ahead of them, much faster now that he didn’t have a passenger. Hiccup sighed and Toothless bolted after him, taking Jack’s actions as a challenge. As they were trying to catch up, Rapunzel squeezed Hiccup’s shoulder, getting the dragon rider’s attention.

“Are you and Jack still fighting?” She asked, having to shout over the sound of rushing wind. Hiccup nodded a little, getting another squeeze from her, “Are you going to be alright? He’s not going to… you know…”

“No, he won’t. He knows better.” Hiccup said, surprised at how calm he sounded, “We all do.”

Rapunzel left it at that, and they continued their flight, Jack staying ahead of them for the majority of the trip. Hiccup couldn’t help but think back to his dream. Something was bugging him about it, but he couldn’t quite place it. He sort of wished he didn’t wake up, but he had to force himself to believe that it was better to live here than in a delusion.

“Rapunzel?” He called out, looking over his shoulder, “What did you dream about?”

Her eyes widened a little, then her face turned red, “Actually, I dreamt of us all together. And… Well…” She shrugged a little, then looked up, towards Jack. Hiccup’s brows furrowed and he followed her gaze. She dreamt of him? He didn’t really understand why, but at the same time, he knew Jack had great charisma.

“Was it a good dream?” Hiccup asked, getting a happy nod from the blonde behind him. He smiled back, then faced forward again, lost in thought once more. He glanced back towards the land they were quickly leaving, wondering what Merida had dreamt of.

Maybe she dreamt of Hiccup, like he had dreamt of her? Should he go back sometime and ask her?

He wanted to know, definitely, but he knew they had more important things to worry about right now. A silly dream would have to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ah, you weren’t chosen when it happened, were you?” Jack recalled, stroking his chin in thought, then he quirked a brow at her, “How were you chosen, anyway?”  
>  “Hey, I asked you a question first!” She huffed, crossing her arms and pouting her lips defiantly.  
>  “I won’t tell unless you tell first!” Jack teased, eyes sparkling with mischief. Merida squinted at him, then rolled her eyes and stuck out her hand.  
>  “Deal?”  
>  Jack smirked and slapped his hand against hers, shaking it just as hard as she did, “Deal!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still looking for beta readers! Message me here or on tumblr: nothinghereisvegetarian.tumblr.com
> 
> Please and thank you!

“Good luck!” Hiccup called out as he and Toothless gained air alongside Jack. Rapunzel waved at them, then picked up her hair and took off running, leaving behind a bright path of grass and flowers in what used to be a desert wasteland. When Hiccup and Jack regained their altitude, they continued to fly forward side by side, but they remained quiet. The further they got, the more tense it seemed to become between the two, and even Toothless was able to feel the strain.

He growled and flicked his ears, obviously uncomfortable, but with a quick rub and a whispered, “It’s ok buddy, just a little bit more to go,” from Hiccup and he seemed to calm down.

When Spring was far behind them, Jack gave a look at Hiccup, then dove down, surprising the brunet.

“Hey! Wait!” He shouted, pulling on Toothless gently and guiding him down in an arch, following the winter spirit. Jack glanced at him, but continued to fall, and the closer they got to the ground, the slower the both of them went.

“What are you doing?” Jack growled, landing on the ground and slamming his staff down, creating a large wave of ice and snow, similar to Merida’s. Hiccup stayed in the air, Toothless having to beat his wings quickly in order to stay somewhat still, mostly with the added breeze.

“Why are you still angry at me?” Hiccup questioned, holding onto Toothless tightly as the dragon reached out for a nearby tree, grabbing onto it so he could rest his wings. The tree was melted of ice, then, and the leaves turned brown rather than gray like the rest of them, slowly beginning to fall.

“I’m not angry.” Jack said slowly, glaring at the dragon and the boy, “I’m keeping my distance.”

“You’re practically throwing me around, Jack! You’re angry!” Hiccup refused to believe him, returning his glare.

They were silent for a while, then Jack glanced around and smirked, “We’re alone.”

Hiccup’s glare weakened, then he looked down at Toothless, gripping onto the saddle tighter, “You wouldn’t do anything. They’ll know.”

“So what? Let’s just… have a little fun, Hiccup. Like we used to.” Jack begged, walking a little closer to him. Hiccup tugged on Toothless’ saddle, getting him higher in the tree, away from Jack and ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

“We don’t have time for that.” Hiccup said quickly, glaring once more.

“But you have time to come down and interrogate me?”

“I wasn’t! I just…” Hiccup sighed, shoulders slumping and face falling, “I just… want to know if we’re alright.”

Jack’s brows furrowed, confusion etched in his eyes, “You mean… friends?”

“Yeah. Like before… all this.” He gestured vaguely, practically at the whole world.

Jack thought about that for a moment, then looked back at his isolated wonderland, the snow beginning to fall within his perimeter and the ice growing rapidly.

“All this?” He asked, crouching down to scoop up snow, then letting it fall.

“No, not that.” Hiccup sighed, then shook his head, “Nevermind, I… I should be going.”

“You mean them, then?” Jack asked, staying crouched close to the ground and looking out towards the horizon, “Merida and Rapunzel?”

Hiccup was quiet, eyes on Jack.

“Yeah. We’re alright.” Jack finally whispered, and Hiccup couldn’t help but feel relieved. They said no more, they didn’t even glance at each other, and Hiccup took off, headed for his own designated area. He and Toothless had to get there quickly, though, in order to make up the time he spent talking with Jack.

When he deemed himself far enough from Jack and not too close to Merida, Hiccup decided it was time to start working. He and Toothless shot for the clouds, piercing them in seconds. They hovered above them for a moment, then begun to fall back down, the both of them hooting in delight. Hiccup _loved_ this part.

With his hands outstretched, mirroring Toothless’ wings, they fell back through the clouds, which then began to follow. The sky seemed to darken, and below, Hiccup could see the town in patches, separated into geometrical shapes by highways and roads and only once by a creek.

“Let’s give this one a little extra kick!” Hiccup chuckled, then squeezed his legs tighter around the dragon when he began to spin. He tucked in his arms, finding the saddle, then pulled himself in close, their spinning becoming faster now. Toothless’ wings folded in as well, and soon the clouds begun to spin with them, creating a funnel coming down towards the city.

When Toothless slowed his spinning and threw out his wings, the funnel of wind seemed to swell behind them, and Hiccup raised his hands in the air, looking down at the town.

“Let’s hope they have strong houses!” Hiccup joked weakly, then threw his arms forward with a shout, the rolling and twisting bowl of wind and cloud breaking, casting down on the town beneath them.

“That should go for a few states…” Hiccup sighed happily, watching as the dirt below swirled in the wind, then was thrown upward in a plume, a dark, semi-deathly cloud carrying Hiccup’s personal touch of Autumn with it. He and Toothless stayed airborne, keeping up with the growing cloud of dust as it swallowed the city, then roared onward. Hiccup would occasionally give the storm an extra boost when he thought it began to dwindle, nudging it in various directions to spread it as far as he could, then decided to let it continue on by itself when it reached the next state.

“Come on, buddy, let’s go colour some trees.” Hiccup said softly, scratching Toothless’ head and getting a soft purr in response before they shot ahead.

-_-_-_-_-

Pitch circled his globe with a scowl, watching through narrowed eyes as the blinking yellow lights slowed and the burning red seemed to subside. He hadn’t predicted them to wake this early, definitely not one almost right after the other, but he stayed relatively calm. For now, all he had to do was sit back and watch. He did what he needed. He just needed to rely on his pieces to do what _they_ needed to do.

The click of hooves echoed behind him, but he didn’t look over his shoulder. His eyes were stuck on his little globe as he instructed his nightmare, “Keep your eyes on them. Hiccup especially.”

The mare whinnied in obedience, then galloped off and upwards, through the cracks and tunnels in the caves, heading topside. It began to race through the darkness, hidden from the ever curious moonbeans, searching for it’s target.

Pitch circled the globe once more, watching the country-shaped metalwork faded from hue to hue as the ‘seasons’ continued their rounds. He could feel bitterness rise in him much like bile, and he spat it away, turning his attention away from the offending object as if it had physically hurt him.

He had to distract himself, lest he return to the ground above him and ruin his plans just for the sake of harassing the four seasons. He stalked off into his caverns, the empty cages hanging from the ceilings a cruel reminder of when he was too hasty and full of himself. He needed to stay calm if this plan of his was to work.

-_-_-_-_-

The flapping of wings echoed throughout the empty town, talons scraping the rooftops as Toothless landed went unnoticed. Hiccup ran his eyes over what used to be Berk, his home. He felt the dull ache in his chest. It used to be so lively, so happy, even _after_ the vikings went extinct. People had inhabited this tiny, miserable little island for centuries, but now… now it was just rubble and darkness.

A click of the tongue and a gentle tug on the saddle and Toothless jumped from the house they had perched upon, walking his way through the barren town, looking around just as much as his rider.

The buildings were beginning to collapse, a black rot infesting the woodwork and foundations, in symmetry to its previous inhabitants. A familiar crunch beneath Toothless’ foot was heard, but went ignored, and they continued their slow journey through the town.

“What did he want….?” Hiccup asked his dragon in a whisper, the pain intensifying along with his growing confusion, “Why did he come here in the first place?”

He could recall it easily, since to Hiccup, fifty years barely seemed like a week ago. He and Toothless had been visiting, deciding to give Berk its well-deserved harvest of the year. Whenever they had come around, they always stayed a little longer than necessary, which wasn’t much of a problem since only children seemed to be able to spot them, and even then it was only ever from a distance.

It had been getting late in the day, and Hiccup thought it would be nice for them to hide in the cove and pretend to sleep, just to try and relive their days together when they weren’t… this. They had found a particularly nice cove to lay inside, Toothless burning a little nest beneath them and Hiccup pressing against the beast, blanketed by his wing, but then, out of nowhere-

“So _this_ is where Autumn goes when it’s not patrolling the countries?”

Hiccup got to his feet quickly, Toothless quick to follow, but the echo inside the cavern proved as a disadvantage. He pressed a hand to Toothless’ head, more for his own stability than the dragon’s.

“I guess when they say ‘home is where the heart is’, they mean it.” the echo chuckled, the shadows around them almost taunting them, circling them threateningly, and with a quiet command, Toothless shot an aimless plasma ball, lighting up the cavern just for a moment, just to let them see the man neither of them had seen before, but had heard plenty about, skip out of the way and peer at them with a grin before sinking back into the darkness.

“But what I wonder, little Fall spirit, is what’s in that heart of yours?” The echo seemed to grow, and Hiccup could practically hear his heart pounding away in his chest, “Surely there must be _something_. My Old Friend wouldn’t just pluck a random boy out of the crowd.”

“What do you want?” Hiccup challenged, getting a particularly amused chuckle from the man.

“So he speaks!” He taunted, the echo dying down into one point behind Hiccup and his dragon, making the both of them spin around, only to have Hiccup reel back when he found himself practically nose to nose with the Boogeyman himself, who stood his ground and smirked, “And here I am, beginning to think it was the dragon that Old Moon saw something in.”

“Don’t mock me.” Hiccup spat, but he stepped further back, pressing his hand against Toothless’ chest, who was snarling at the intruder.

“Oh, I don’t intend to,” Pitch replied with a grin, straightening up his shoulders and allowing the moonlight to roll off his frame as he stepped further into the cave, “I just want to know one little thing.”

“And that is…?” Hiccup tried keeping his distance, but the cave only seemed to get more narrow with each step they took, and soon he could hear Toothless growling in distress, the back of his tail hitting the stone wall.

“Your _center_. Everyone else has a reason, _everyone else_ has an act or an idea that made them who they are, but no matter how _long_ I watch you, no matter how _hard_ I observe, I see _nothing_!” Pitch got angrier with every word, the shadows dancing around them in a hostile fashion, the moonbeams thinning, “You’re just a boy! A boy with a dragon!”

“I’m not just a boy!” Hiccup denied, but he was merely written off with a scoff.

“You are a _child_.” He intoned, his shoulders hunched and his lips pulled back in an animalistic snarl that nearly put Toothless to shame, “You don’t deserve this gift!”

“Like you do?” Hiccup shot back, only to get an amused snort in return.

“Like you know me well enough to judge!”

“I know by stories,” Hiccup began, taking a brave step forward, into the moon’s brilliance, “You attack what we’re supposed to protect!”

“I keep them in their place!”

“You need to be kept in yours!”

Offended, Pitch took a step back, staring down at the rider with wide eyes. Hiccup stood his ground, no matter how small of it he took, and just stared back, challenging.

“You can’t always protect what matters to you…” Pitch warned gravely, curling his fingers into fists, then with a smirk, he sunk into the shadows, “I guess I’ll have to show you firsthand.”

“What are you talking about?” Hiccup shouted, head twisting this way and that to try and catch a glimpse of the man, but his shadows continued to taunt him and his chuckle rang through his skull.

“Why don’t you find out?” He teased, then the shadows seemed to swirl together, as if being sucked through a straw, shooting straight out the mouth of the cavern.

Hiccup didn’t have to say a word to his dragon as he saddled him, Toothless knew exactly where to go. Over the trees they shot and around the mountain they coiled, Hiccup’s stomach heavy with fear.

At the first sign of the town, Hiccup could feel everything in him freeze up. The word ‘no’ hung off his lips, willing to be spoken if only he had the breath, but it, along with the inhabitants of what used to be Berk, had died in a moment, the only remaining hint of it ever being there was a faint wheezing, a gentle creaking from the doors hung half-open.

Corpses lied throughout the town, as if they had been dragged out from their homes and slaughtered in the streets one by one, and everything seemed to be laced with black. Hiccup’s vision blurred as tears blinded him, feeling just as void of life as the town he flew over.

Toothless’ growl dragged Hiccup’s fleeting attention to a rooftop where Pitch stood, smiling down at his work. He was proud. Hiccup’s pain and confusion turned into pure, untempered anger when he and the king of darkness made eye contact, and suddenly he had all the air back in his lungs, along with a bursting urge for revenge in the only way he was familiar with.

With a long, painful shout, Hiccup summoned the winds upon the town, the clouds above them reaching down towards the little island and scraping at the grounds in their twisting dance, the shrill howling they created as they tore and shredded everything in their path only amplifying Hiccup’s own cry for blood.

Pitch flinched away when one tornado drew too close to him, and he shot away with his shadows carrying him, his words as clear as they were in the caverns.

“You are a _runt_.”

He barely remembered what happened next, he had been in such a rampage he didn’t even realize Toothless had carried him off the island. When his initial anger subsided, he found himself and Toothless floating freely in the ocean, incredibly far from the remnants of Berk.

With a gentle coo, Hiccup understood what the beast wanted, and they flew for who they knew could help.

“Too-Toothless, stop!” Hiccup laughed out, being brought back to the present when his dragon began pressing his nose against the boy’s side, tickling him. They had wandered back to the cove, Hiccup weary of seeing the dead once more and Toothless knowing what was best for them.

They pressed closer together, and Hiccup let out a soft sigh, “Maybe we’ll never know, bud…”

Toothless didn’t even acknowledge that with a grunt, curling up with Toothless in the middle of him and getting comfortable enough to pretend to sleep for a while. Hiccup reclined against the scaled side of his companion, mind still racing with what ifs and how comes when a different question popped into his head.

_Where are the others now?_

Hiccup closed his eyes, dwelling on that question. Because of their jobs, they would usually never see each other. The only time they would be able to glimpse one another would be if they went up or down towards the Arctics, and even then it could lead to catastrophe on a human scale.

Of course, if he went quickly, he could catch up to Merida…

He rolled onto his side, pressing his cheek against his palm. He wanted to ask her what she had dreamt of. Part of him hoped that she would say of him, but the other part feared her saying otherwise.

Then again, he’d be further away from Jack…

As he rested, the echoes of Pitch’s voice bounced around in his head and the question of Merida’s dream loomed over him. If he had been human, he wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep anyway, but as he is now, he really didn’t need to.

It was around three in the morning when he decided it was time to move on, already knowing where he was going to go next. If he wanted to catch up with Merida while still going undetected by North or the other Guardians, he had to bounce around a little. He was looking forward to maybe running into Rapunzel on the way; she was a good friend to him. All he knew was that, if alerted, they’d most likely send Jack after him, and that was the last thing either one of them wanted. Of course, with what happened before, maybe North would go after him himself.

Regardless of the consequence, Hiccup and Toothless began their quest, their zigzagging pattern throwing them practically all over his portion of the world.

Unbeknownst to the dragon rider, he wasn’t the only one adopting this strange travel pattern. Both North and Pitch looked on to their respective globes, one with an inquisitive frown and the other with a gleeful smirk. The world stayed relatively healthy, of course, but this behaviour among all of them was what had to be called into question, and question it North did.

“Track them down, make sure they’re not in trouble.” North ordered to one of his Yetis, getting a garbled confirmation before he and three others took off through the wormholes. The thought that Pitch was interfering once more was what worried North the most.

Pitch, of course, was still in his caverns, stalking around the globe as the patterns became erratic. Finally, _finally_ his plan was starting to come together. From this point on, he probably wouldn’t even need to interfere. It was all up to his little game pieces now, and what they thought was free will.

He chuckled darkly, his laughter only echoing back at him as the empty cages creaked and the sound of something dripping resounded faintly through his caves. He heard a whinny, taking his attention away from the globe to look back at his little nightmare. She was tapping her hooves pensively, what she had seen being shared with her master and making him worry his lip. He turned back to the globe, eyes narrowed. If North was going to interfere, he may have to step out of his comfortable cavern after all.

But not yet, he decided, crossing his arms and creating for himself a throne out of the diseased sand he still possessed and sitting down. His plan still had a chance to work out, so long as the four seasons continued with this pattern.

-_-_-_-_-

Toothless landed with a soft ‘ _thump_ ’, the snow crunching under his talons. They were in shared territory now, and Hiccup knew he was just bound to run into one of the other three. The sky was clear, but the cold was sharp and bit at Hiccup’s nose. Toothless began to shiver, then started shooting at the ice in front of them, melting it away into a little cavern.

“Thanks, bud.” Hiccup said with a smile when Toothless brought them both inside, “We’ll wait for a while before we move on.”

Toothless grunted, nodding slightly, then curled up with his rider, tucking his nose against Hiccup’s stomach and closing his eyes.

Hours passed, and the wind was the only thing that greeted Hiccup’s ears. Toothless had needed to blow a new hole in their cave at least three times, lest they be trapped inside, and Hiccup knew he would be running out of shots soon. He tried to wait it out a bit longer, but when Toothless tried to heat them up with a small spit of flame and couldn’t, Hiccup decided they had waited long enough.

“Come on, let’s just go.” Hiccup muttered sadly, feeling dejected and cold, inside and out. He and Toothless carefully crawled out of their little igloo, shaking off the snow from their legs and Toothless’ tail apparatus before Hiccup climbed onto the creature’s back. He let Toothless stretch out his wings, giving them a few experimental beats. He needed to work the blood back into them, and Hiccup reached over to try and warm them up by rubbing them, getting a coo of gratitude from his friend.

“How about we run for a while first?” Hiccup suggested when Toothless’ wings still seemed too heavy. Toothless clicked in agreement, keeping his wings stretched out, and they began to run through the snow and wind, heading West. A while passed before Toothless’ wings were actually able to get them off the ground, his wings beating hard while he did it, but Hiccup knew that if they got past the clouds and closer to the sun, they’d have an easier time.

Just as they began their take-off, Hiccup heard a far away shout. Toothless grunted in surprise when the brunet twisted around, tugging on the saddle as he did so. All he saw was snow, though, and just when he was about to dismiss it, he heard it again.

“Wait, Toothless…” He commanded, getting an annoyed huff from his friend before the dragon slowed and tucked his wings in close to his body, trying to keep them warm.

“ _Hiccup!_ ” He heard being called out from a distance, and Hiccup visibly perked up. He couldn’t tell who it was just yet, but he was beginning to see a shadow in the distance, and they were definitely running. Hiccup threw both of his arms into the air, waving them to show he heard her, whichever her it was, he didn’t know. He got a wave in return, then Hiccup tugged on the saddle to urge Toothless towards the other.

They closed the distance quickly, and Hiccup was only a little disappointed to see Rapunzel instead of Merida. When they caught up to each other, Toothless quickly wrapped himself around her, sticking out his wings to shield her from the wind.

“What are you doing out here?” Rapunzel asked with a smile, folding her arms over herself and looking up at the rider.

“I just ended up here. I hit most of the big cities anyway. All I have to do is wait for the dust storms to settle down before I move on.” He explained with a shrug, smiling back, “Do you need a ride back?” He asked quickly, wanting to get out of the wind before Toothless got too cold. She nodded quickly, taking his outstretched hand and climbing onto Toothless’ back, pulling her hair up after her and wrapping it around Hiccup like before. When she was secured and holding on, Hiccup urged Toothless up, shooting straight for the sparse clouds. It took them a few minutes longer than usual, but when they were fully in the sun’s rays, Toothless’ flying got smoother and Hiccup could feel him relax.

“It’s been a few years, hasn’t it?” Rapunzel called out to him, the roar of the winds louder around them as they flew North.

“Give or take,” Hiccup replied weakly, turning his head over his shoulder so she could hear him, “What were you doing out here, anyway?”

“Oh, same as you,” She answered with a shrug, “I guess we’ve all been bouncing around. I ran into one of North’s Yetis the other day.”

“You too?” Hiccup asked with a frown, looking at her with a frown, “I thought I was the only one being watched…”

“He probably has eyes on all of us. Just in case Pitch…” her voice trailed off as a new thought came to her, then she squeezed Hiccup’s arm gently and asked, “Is it true? What Pitch did to Berk?”

“It’s not Berk anymore.” Hiccup decided to say, not wanting to answer the question. Rapunzel didn’t press it, but she knew, and he knew she knew. After a while of flying quiet, Hiccup finally said, “I just don’t want to think about it right now…”

“That’s ok. I understand…” Rapunzel said gently, patting his shoulder.

“You know I can only fly you to the top of your region. If I go too far, I’ll risk messing up the order.” Hiccup pointed out, getting a shrug from the blond.

“Just go as far as you can. Oh! You know what’s near the top? My tower!” She nudged him eagerly, smiling, “Why don’t we go by? I haven’t been home yet since that fiasco!”

Hiccup smiled back, “Inviting me over already? I feel honoured.”

“Oh, stop it!” She laughed, giving him a playful shove. Toothless growled a little when they were knocked off balance, though, then twitched his head quickly to hit Hiccup with his ear.

“Ow! Hey! It wasn’t me that did it!” Hiccup protested, only earning him another smack, “You are a heartless reptile! What happened to Viking’s best friend?”

Toothless merely harrumphed at that, continuing his flight over the icy lands.

A comfortable silence fell, the whistle of the winds almost soothing now. Rapunzel looked out to the glistening water under the clouds and Hiccup leaned forward a little more, reducing the drag.

“I remember the first time I felt water at my feet…” Rapunzel said with nostalgia, “It had been the most horrifying but exciting day of my life…”

Hiccup glanced back at her, then asked, “What was it like?”

Rapunzel just smiled sadly, then shook her head, “It was… uneventful, really. It wasn’t until I met…” her eyes became sad and she looked away from the water, down at her hair. Hiccup frowned, thinking she wouldn’t continue. Talking about their lives always seemed to get a little touchy, and it was usually like treading on eggshells.

But when she spoke, Hiccup was surprised with how calm she sounded, how much happiness could be found in her words, as though reliving it as she retold it.

“There was a man who came to my tower. I was so desperate to see the floating lanterns that I made a bargain with him. A crown for a safe trip there and back. It was my idea, he didn’t want to do it at first…”

She looked up towards the blue sky, Hiccup watching her and trusting Toothless to know where to go, “He tried sabotaging me into turning back, but the further we got, the more we got to know each other. It all happened so quickly, practically in a day, but… I just knew. We nearly died that day, we almost drowned, but I used my hair and we were able to get out and from there… We just connected.”

She looked down at Hiccup, then blushed and looked away, “It sounds silly.”

“No! No, no, not at all!” He quickly tried to reassure her. He wanted her to keep talking, fascinated with learning more about his friend, but a roar from Toothless alerted them that they had arrived at the tower. They dove down, landing half-hazardly on the twisting spire. Toothless crawled around until they found the window, and when they were all safely inside, Hiccup felt his heart sink. The room was a mess. Broken glass was scattered everywhere, Rapunzel stepping through it like it was grass on her bare feet. The mirror had toppled over, the bed sheets moth-eaten and dragged away from the mattress as though its past inhabitant had been grabbed by the ankles and forced away. There were chains connecting to one of the posts, empty cuffs resting on the floor. The walls had paint peeling from them, the fading faces of dancing women and the wilting petals of grey flowers now decorated the room, as though in mourning. The stairs were broken and the drapes covering a bay window were thrown to the ground, the very curtain rod hanging half off the wall, rusted and bent at such a vicious angle.

“What happened?” Hiccup barely croaked out, taking slow, turning steps to take in his decaying surroundings.

Rapunzel walked to the bed, sitting down at the end of it and stroking the mattress, then the bedposts, “That man and I…. We had reached the kingdom and sat out in the water, just watching the lights bloom from the castle grounds. It was so beautiful, it was everything that I had dreamed of… but then the woman who kept me here found us.

“She tricked him into leaving, but I didn’t know. I thought he left me and took the crown with him, and I came back here with her. When she took the last flower from my hair and left me alone, I had a revelation.” Rapunzel stood up again, gesturing to the ceiling, where Hiccup looked. All he saw was the faded half-paintings, but when she told him to look closer, he could see a familiar pattern within.

“A sun?” He asked, squinting his eyes, then looking back at Rapunzel to see her nod in confirmation.

“The Royal Family’s crest. It had been etched into my memory when I was a baby…. When I was stolen from my crib.”

Hiccup looked at her in shock, and she merely smiled back before continuing her story, “My mother and father were really the queen and king of that kingdom. I had been so close to them, and I just turned and walked away without even knowing…

“When I realized this, I went down to interrogate the woman I originally thought to be my mother. I figured out her plot, realizing she had sent the man away to be killed, and when I tried to escape, she grabbed me and chained me up. I think, somehow, she predicted that he would come… so she kept us there and used me as bait. He didn’t know, he thought it was just me… When he came up to the tower, she stabbed him and left him to die.”

Hiccup’s eyes were wide as he listened, he barely realized he had sat down on the bed, but he was relieved. He didn’t think he would be able to stand for another minute when this story hit him. He put his head in his hands, reeling from this information, and was about to say something when Rapunzel continued.

“But I convinced her to let me save him. I promised her I would go with her as long as she let him live. She chained him to that pole, so he wouldn’t follow. When it was all done, she dragged me away from here and we went deep into the forest.”

“How did you get out?” Hiccup asked in a whisper, watching her closely as she paced the room.

“I guess the Man in the Moon liked what I did. He reached out to me and offered me my freedom from her. He offered me a new life, and gave me the chance to use my power from the sun for good.” She ran her fingers through her hair, then sighed and begun to braid it over her shoulder, sitting on the cold stone floor as she did so, “And that’s how I got here.”

Hiccup could barely keep from whispering, “Whoa…” as it all came together. He barely heard her when she asked a question, having to ask her to repeat what she had said.

“I said, how did you get here?” She asked again, smiling as she braided her hair, “It must have been exciting. I mean, you were a viking! I’ve only ever read about them before I met you.”

Hiccup laughed and tried brushing off the amazement with a, “Oh, it was nothing special, we were just a tribe of meaty people eating together.”

Rapunzel smiled, then scooted closer to him, dragging her hair with her until she was at his feet, looking up at him with those big, curious eyes, as if story time with Hiccup was about to begin. Hiccup’s cheeks flushed, then he asked, “You really want to know? I have to warn you, it isn’t as heartwarming as yours!”

“Of course I want to know!” She laughed, continuing her braid, which was only just starting to come together. It must take ages to braid that much hair, Hiccup thought briefly, before he sighed and gave in to those giant green eyes.

“I guess the best way to start is… I never really belonged in a Viking tribe. I was the son of a great chief, Stoick the Vast he was called, and he definitely filled out his name.” He patted his own stomach to emphasize his point, getting a giggle from the blond at his feet.

“In Viking culture, it was customary to name the runt of the litter ‘Hiccup’. Even from the start I was disappointing my father. He and I, we never really saw eye to eye. I still think he didn’t even hear me half the time, but whenever I got into trouble, he was always there to yell at me. I just wanted to fit in, you know? Be a Viking like them, grow some muscle, fight some dragons, make a name for myself.”

“You fought dragons?” Rapunzel interrupted with a frown.

“Yes. Well, not me personally. I tried, but I always ended up… running away from the crossfire. Before I met Toothless, all the Vikings wanted… all _I_ wanted, was to kill all the dragons. Or at least, eradicate them from Berk. We were always fighting with them. But after I met Toothless, _after_ I was able to befriend him, I thought ‘Maybe I have a chance to prove myself. Maybe this is where I can show my father that I was a Viking, too.’ Needless to say, he didn’t approve at first. He took Toothless from me and tried to use him to find the Dragon’s Nest, an island usually hidden in the fog. My friends and I rushed over. We knew there was a dragon there, at least two hundred Vikings tall and twice as many ruthless. My dad and the tribe didn’t stand a chance, not by themselves.

“When we got there, The Green Death -that was one of the names we called the beast- was already out of the caves and attacking my father’s ships. He set them aflame, along with the vessel carrying Toothless. I tried to save him, but with my mass…” He shrugged, smiling with a hint of shame, “My dad was the one who saved him, after he pulled me out of the water. After that, he let me and Toothless join the fight, along with my friends and their dragons.

“It was a brutal one. We had no knowledge of this dragon, and we couldn’t find any weaknesses. Near the last stretch, Toothless and I flew up into the sky, the Green Death on our tail. We tore his wings until he was almost unable to keep himself in the sky, then with one last shot, we hit him from the inside. The explosion was so great, it tore Toothless’ sail. We couldn’t get in the air again, but Toothless grabbed me before the fire got to me. Well, before it got to the rest of me. I got this from that fight.” He lifted his prosthetic, getting an amazed look from the blond before him.

“I don’t think I ever felt more like a Viking in my whole life than I had in that day… But that fight was the only thing I was able to carry to my name. The damage was so great to the rest of my body that I was bedridden. The fire might not have gotten to me, but the fall definitely did. They had made me a leg, but I was still unable to walk. My dad had been so happy to see me alive, but I think he knew I wasn’t going to be moving anymore. I was a lost cause, and a Viking that couldn’t pull their own was better off dead.”

Rapunzel gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth and whispering, “They didn’t… Did they?!”

“Wh-What? No! Of course not! It was- ugh, it was just a saying!” Hiccup quickly corrected himself, getting a relieved sigh from her.

“I thought your father…!” She trailed off, then began to laugh. Hiccup was surprised at first, but he couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“My dad was a Viking, but he wasn’t heartless!” Hiccup chuckled out, resting his elbows on his knees.

“So the Man in the Moon came to you when you were bedridden?” Rapunzel asked, urging him to continue. Hiccup cleared his throat and nodded.

“I had to beg him to bring Toothless too, though. I didn’t want to leave my bud behind.” He looked over at the dragon, who was currently climbing through the rafters, enjoying himself and cooing, “I don’t really know why he chose me, though. I didn’t do anything. Sometimes… Sometimes I think he was just running out of options.”

“Don’t say that.” Rapunzel clicked her tongue, pushing Hiccup’s knee scoldingly, “He always has a reason. Sometimes it can be hard to figure it out, but you know he would only choose someone good of heart. And you are good of heart, Hiccup.”

Hiccup gave her a weak smile, but he didn’t believe it. He might have been a push over, a soft-hearted boy, sure, but he wasn’t good of heart.

“So how did you and Toothless meet?” She asked next, smiling her toothy grin as she finished off her braid. It was much quicker than Hiccup thought it would take.

“I shot him out of the sky and tried to make up for it by fixing his tail.” He summarized with a shrug, only getting a shocked stare from the blond before him.

“You _shot_ him?!”

“Well, more like entrapped him and let him fall into the forest, but… _details_.” He got back onto his feet and Toothless hopped down beside him, growling at him and edging towards the window. They had stayed for longer than they were supposed to. Hiccup climbed onto Toothless’ back and let the dragon crawl out from the window, but they stalled as Hiccup looked back in at Rapunzel.

“Hey, did you talk to Merida? After you two woke up?” Hiccup asked, keeping his grip tight on Toothless as they were hanging off the wall rather precariously.

“Oh, yeah! She was acting weird, too. Well, I guess it was reasonable, she had been asleep longer than I had…”

“Did she… dream of anything?” Hiccup asked next, feeling his chest tighten in nervousness. Rapunzel thought about it, eyes darting down and a hand going to her chin. When she seemed to recall, she nodded.

“She said she dreamt about all of us together. Like me.” She answered with a shrug, crossing her arms.

“No one in particular?” Hiccup asked with a frown, knowing he was sounding desperate, but he really wanted to know.

“Well… she said she dreamt mostly of me and her together. That was the weird part I was talking about.” Rapunzel explained with a frown, giving Hiccup a curious look, “Why do you ask?”

“No reason!” He quickly chirped, raising a hand defensively. Toothless was about to crawl away, but then Hiccup shouted another question, “Was it… was it a good dream?”

Toothless seemed to groan, wanting to get back to their own region already. Rapunzel quirked a brow at the boy, then shrugged.

“She didn’t say it was particularly bad…” Rapunzel answered slowly, obviously confused and curious, but Hiccup didn’t let her ask.

“Thanks, Rapunzel!” He said quickly, letting Toothless fall away from the wall before they shot up into the air, aiming southwest. He was planning on going straight through Merida’s territory, but the chances of him running into her were close to zero. He didn’t mind, though. His question had been answered, and while it wasn’t the answer he wanted, it was one he definitely needed. He knew there was something else going on, but he couldn’t understand what.

“Am I overthinking things?” He asked Toothless, who only crooned in response to the unclear question. They continued their flight, hoping to get back to their part of the world before North’s curiosity was piqued.

Jack, on the other hand, had a similar idea. Instead of heading North, however, he fell south, hoping to run in to the dragon rider on the way. A land of ice and snow barely fazed him, of course, and his presence only made it colder, which was how he liked it. He knew his actions weren’t the best for the world, but he needed to see the boy again.

Their last chat wasn’t exactly the warmest, but it left Jack wondering if maybe things _weren’t_ beyond repair. What had happened between them wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on, but it seemed like it was always being dangled over him in the long run. He just needed to make it right.

His search through the icy tundra turned up nothing, and it was only when he decided to turn back when he heard a shouted, “Hey!”

He paused and looked around, landing on the snow with barely a crinkle. He searched the horizon and the voice shouted to him again. He saw their outline, it was just one of the girls. He hurried over anyway, keeping a distance just in case it was Rapunzel.

“What are you doing down here?” He heard Merida shout, and he relaxed the distance between them until they were face to face.

“Ice. Snow. Need I say more?” Jack taunted with a shrug, “I should be asking _you_ that, Summer Sunshine.”

“I told you not to call me that.” Merida scoffed, shoving Jack playfully, but with enough force to knock him off balance and into the snow.

“Hey, that’s violence!” Jack huffed, the wind picking him up and putting him back on his feet. They both shared a laugh, but it was short.

“Who’re you trying to find, then?” Merida asked, getting straight to the point as usual.

“No one. I’m just down here for kicks.” Jack said with a shrug, then shot her a clever look, “But that must mean _you’re_ down here for someone, huh?”

Merida pressed her lips together, then shrugged and folded her arms over her chest. She was shivering hard, but she was doing well to not let it phase her, “I was hoping to run into Rapunzel.”

“Why do you think she’d be down here?” Jack questioned, stabbing his staff into the snow, then perching atop it.

“I said I was _hoping_.” Merida enunciated, rolling her eyes at him, “Don’t you think it’s weird, anyway?”

“What? You pining after the spirit of Spring?” Jack snorted, giving her an uninterested look, then yelping when his staff was kicked out from under him, sending him into the snow, “Twice! That’s twice!”

“I’m not pining!” Merida denied, crossing her arms in a huff, “I meant, don’t you think it’s weird that we’re doing this?”

“Doing what?” Jack was playing innocent, getting back to his feet himself and brushing off the snow from his pants before he picked his staff up with his foot, kicking it to his hand.

“Haven’t you noticed the Yetis? They’re watching us. Hiccup and Punzie are probably trying to find us too.”

Jack furrowed his brows and muttered, “Yetis? I didn’t think he’d put them on you, too…”

“Of course he would. After Pitch’s stunt? I wouldn’t have let us leave without them if I were him.” She snorted, giving him a blank look, “You think you’re so unique that you’d need a special watch dog?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Jack said, tapping his staff against his shoulder as he begun to pace. He was about to say something else when he heard Merida’s teeth start to chatter, making him pause and look at her.

“Come on, let’s find somewhere else to go.” Jack sighed, going to her and holding out a hand.

“We can’t go to my home, it’s gone now.” Merida huffed, but she took his hand anyway, eliciting another shiver.

“Mine too…” Jack muttered, pulling her in close. She put her arms around his neck and thought, then said, “We can go to the Fire Falls down in Scotland. Secluded and high up.”

“All the way in Ye Olde Scotland?” Jack chuckled, trying to imitate Merida’s accent, only to get a slap to the shoulder.

“You need to work on your accent, Jack!” She laughed out, and with that, they took off, practically rocketing through the air. Merida clung tighter, absolutely terrified of flying. It wasn’t that she was afraid of heights, she just didn’t trust Jack not to drop her.

“Calm down, I got you!” Jack called over the sound of rushing wind, only making Merida grip him tighter. It barely took them any time before they were flying over Scotland, Jack’s speed still something Merida couldn’t understand. It was as though he were able to bend space itself to allow him to travel faster.

“Are you sure this is close enough to the center?” Jack asked, obviously worried that they’d cause a ruckus.

“It’s close enough!” Merida huffed, Jack slowing down as they neared the Fire Falls. They landed on a stone structure barely ten feet in diameter, and where Jack’s feet touched grew ice patterns. When they were both grounded and stable, Merida sat down, crossing her legs and straightening out her skirt over her knees, “So what was it you meant, then?”

Jack gave her a tired look, annoyed that she would barely forget what they were talking about, but he sat too, laying his staff across his lap and resting his chin on his palm, then his elbow on his knee.

“Well… Ever since Hiccup and I got into that fight, North and the other Guardians have been trying to keep us apart. Not to mention our sibling seasons away. It’s for the greater good, they told me, and I get it, I really do, but… I did try to get under their radar before. It isn’t really a surprise that he’d sick his Yetis on me.”

“What happened between you two anyway? I only remember you being like this.” Merida admitted, leaning forward in curiousity.

“Ah, you weren’t chosen when it happened, were you?” Jack recalled, stroking his chin in thought, then he quirked a brow at her, “How _were_ you chosen, anyway?”

“Hey, I asked you a question first!” She huffed, crossing her arms and pouting her lips defiantly.

“I won’t tell unless you tell first!” Jack teased, eyes sparkling with mischief. Merida squinted at him, then rolled her eyes and stuck out her hand.

“Deal?”

Jack smirked and slapped his hand against hers, shaking it just as hard as she did, “Deal!”

When they let go, Merida straightened up her back and cleared her throat. She didn’t want to admit it, but the lessons her mother had given her, particularly about public speaking, really did stick with her.

“I think it started when I had turned my mother into a bear-”

“Whoa, hey, that’s not the deal!”

“What?”

“You said you’d tell me how you got chosen!” Jack pouted, crossing his own arms and getting a glare in return.

“I am! I’m starting at the beginning!” Merida claimed, challenging his pout with her own.

“You really want me to believe you turned your mother into a bear?”

“Yes! Well, not me exactly, some witch gave me a pastry that I gave to my mom, which turned her into a bear!”

Jack gave her a blank stare, doubting her completely, but Merida’s earnest look made him sigh and groan out, “Fine! I’ll believe you! But this better be a good story!”

“Anyway!” Merida enunciated loudly, “I turned her into a bear because she wanted to marry me off to a bunch of princes from the other families. I didn’t want any part of it, but we didn’t really have great communication skills. So, witch, pastry, bear.

“Well, when I turned her back, she decided to let me choose my own fate and my own husband when I was ready. Everything was perfect. Even Mor’du was dead, so my family was really happy.”

“Mor’du?” Jack asked, tilting his head a little. Merida nodded, then thought for a moment before taking Jack’s staff and standing up. Using the end of it, she did her best to etch a basic drawing of Mor’du, then herself beside him.

“He was a great, big, foul beast with the strength of ten men. He and my dad had fought when I was a child, costing my dad his foot. When I was trying to figure out how to turn my mother back, I had stumbled upon his castle -he used to be man before he struck a deal with the same witch I did. He probably followed us back, then he and my mother fought to the death. Luckily, he was the one who lost.” She sat back down as Jack looked upon the drawing, his amazement apparent in his eyes and he took his staff back.

“So, what happened next?” Jack asked, honestly interested in her story now.

“Well, because of all that, my brothers were constantly telling me to take them on adventures with me. They were crazy boys, always energetic and always bargaining with me.” She laughed as she thought of them, “They could get away with almost anything! They would steal pastries from Maudie all the time! Oh, they’d drive that poor woman crazy! You remind me of them sometimes, Jack.

“Anyway, one day, we were hunting in the streams for fish, the four of us. They were only seven, but they could catch more fish than all the other fishermen combined! They could almost catch as many as I could! One of them, Hamish, he got too close to the edge of the rapids chasing one of the fish. I yelled at him to come back, but he wouldn’t listen.

“He slipped. Down the rapids he fell, screaming for help, and I told the other two boys to get back to the trees and wait there. They didn’t want to at first, but when they knew I was serious, they listened. I took off after Hamish, jumping straight into the rapids. He was clinging to a rock when I found him, crying his wee eyes out. I shoved him onto the bank and gave him a harsh scolding. I tried pulling myself out of the water, but I kept slipping on the mud. Hamish tried helping me out, but I told him ‘Stay by the trees, Hamish. Don’t you move from those trees. I’ll be fine.’

“I got leverage on a stone beneath the waters, lifting myself up from that, and right when I thought I would be able to climb back up, the rock slipped out from under my foot, sending me tumbling down the rapids. My brother yelled after me, but I don’t think he chased. I was knocked unconscious, and when I came to, I was lost. I wandered aimlessly for ages, and only when I begun to give up hope did the wisps show.”

“Wisps?” Jack barely whispered, getting a nod from the redhead.

“The wisps lead you to your fate. They were what lead me to the witch’s cottage and to Mor’du’s castle. And that night, they led me out to the beach, where the moon shone brighter than ever. The Man in the Moon called out to me, then, telling me he needed me to do this.” She gestured widely, “I accepted without a doubt. If the wisps had led me to him, they must have known that this was what I was meant to do.”

Jack couldn’t help the impressed, “Wow…” the came from him, then he laughed and said, “Your life sounded amazing! No wonder why you’re summer!”

“Alright, now, your turn!” Merida reminded him, getting a shrug from the silver-haired boy.

“It’s really not that interesting, but… Well, Hiccup was actually a… a good friend of mine. We were the only seasons at that point, and whenever we could, we would go flying together. We would race, me and that dragon of his, we’d have snowball fights, he’d whip up a tornado or two for us to ride through, the good life! It was really nice and all, but one day… things just changed.”

“What do you mean?” Merida asked with a frown, confused but interested.

Jack furrowed his brows, staring down at his lap as he thought, then decided to say, “We just couldn’t hang out anymore. Things got a little bitter between us because of it, I guess. Then you and Rapunzel showed up, and his affections went to yo-” He stopped, eyes wide, then he snapped his jaw shut. Merida looked shocked, back straight and shoulders stiff. They stared at each other in silence, Jack mentally kicking himself and Merida beginning to furrow her brows.

“Don’t tell him I said that.” Jack said quickly, gripping his staff tightly and not getting an immediate response.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered finally, his words starting to catch up with her, “I knew he had an interest in me, but with what you said, that means…. Oh, my God!” She got to her feet, gasping in shock and eyes twinkling with knowledge.

“It means nothing! Shut up!” Jack quickly hissed, floating to his feet and waving his hands at her, as if trying to swipe away what she heard. Finally, he slapped his hands over her mouth and said strictly, “Look, he _really_ doesn’t want to remember that! You can’t tell him anything!”

She just stared at him, eyes still wide, but when Jack began to plead, she sighed through his icy fingers and nodded, muffling out, “Fine, fine!”

Jack seemed to relax a bit, biting his lip, and he let go of her, only to be asked, “So it’s true? You and him?”

“... Maybe…” Jack muttered, and Merida’s eyes narrowed and her smile grew.

“So you _were_ looking for someone, weren’t you?” she crossed her arms, grinning smugly.

“Fine, yes, I was!” Jack groaned, shoulders slumping. They were quiet for a bit, then Merida put a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.

“You can’t force yourself on him, Jack…” Merida said with a frown, getting sad eyes in return.

“But he’s obsessed with you. How am I supposed to get him to like _me_ again?” Jack complained, not at all bitter with Merida, just… upset.

“You can’t decide for him. It’s his own choice to like who he likes, even if it’s the wrong one. All you can do is stick by his side when he needs you. Like a _friend_ would.”

“Like… Like you and Rapunzel?” Jack whispered, actually comfortable with confiding in the redhead. She smiled a little and nodded.

“If he’s meant to like you, he will. On his own time. If you try to rush him or force him, you’ll just push him away in the end.”

Jack nodded a bit, then sighed and stepped out of her grip, pacing around the small pillar of stone, scraping his staff along the edge of it, “I just… I just wish I could talk to him again! Just tell him that I’m still… But he wouldn’t listen. The others wouldn’t leave us alone together anyway…”

“Why don’t you go to his island? Berk, was it? Isn’t that shared territory between you two?” Merida suggested, folding her hands behind her back.

“Yeah…. but how would I know if he’s there?” Jack tried to find an excuse, unable to admit his own fears at confronting the boy.

“If it’s fate…!” Merida trailed off, shrugging her shoulders and smiling, “Anyway, it’s the only choice you have if you want to talk to him again! Either run into him at Berk or try to find him in the Arctics again. Because that went so well.”

Jack glared at her at first, then smiled and went to her, putting his arms around her, then flying her down to the ground, letting her down gently, “Thanks, Mer.”

“Well, that’s new! You should thank me more often!” She teased, getting a snort and a blow of ice cold wind to the face, toppling her over.

“Don’t get used to it!” He laughed out, taking off towards the skies and back to his own territory.

-_-_-_-_-

The globe in North’s factory begun to rattle, the dim glows of each season pulsing as the four of them bounced all over the planet. While it seemed like mere months to them, it was throwing the Earth off of it’s balance for years to come. North hummed worriedly. His Yetis came back to him with good and bad news.

It wasn’t Pitch that was after them, and that was the good news. The bad news was that it was each other they were after. Bouncing around so violently on the globe trying to catch one another’s trail, staying in places for too long and skipping over others completely, the world was beginning to strain.

While North was trying to think of a solution, the moon decided to take action, peering through the window built into the roof. His beams rolled along the floor, soon washing over North and gently requesting his attention. With his eyes set on his old friend, he let out a shout of relief.

“Manny! Please tell me you know what is going on!” North begged, stepping closer to the silent observer, “Please, tell me you know what to do!”

While there were no words that could be heard, North’s mind was filled with the moon’s answer. He did, in fact, have a solution, but it was a sad one. North could feel himself sink when he realized what had to be done, and he begged for another way, but the moon stayed solid.

“Then I guess we have no choice…” North sighed, never one to argue with the moon, “I’ll call for Jack. He will tell the others.”

The moon waned its apology, but North shook his head, smiling up at him, “You always know what is best, Manny. It is not your fault.”

The Man in the Moon bade its silent farewell to North, and without further ado, slipped beneath the clouds and away from North’s sight, leaving the spirit of wonder to ponder the situation.

“Phil!” He called, getting the Yeti’s immediate attention and a garbled response, “Go get Jack and bring him here. Throw him in a sack. For old time’s sake!” He let out a laugh, though he didn’t feel too jolly. Phil huffed and nodded, shuffling off to grab the snow globes and the burlap sack. North looked up towards the empty sky, then over to the globe, his worry only growing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay love squares.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Call it an… emergency Guardian meeting!” North decided to say, shrugging his shoulders and stepping towards Jack, pulling him into a brief hug, then placing both hands on his shoulders, practically crushing him unintentionally.  
> “For… what?” Jack asked with a frown, “Don’t tell me it’s Pitch again!”  
> “No, mate… It’s you.” Bunny said coldly, getting a loud ‘shh!’ from Tooth. Jack cast around a confused look, but no one elaborated.  
> “Okay…” Jack muttered, stepping out of North’s grip and frowning at him, “What about me?”

“Are you sure the Moon wanted it like this?” Toothiana asked, her wings creating a monotone hum as she hovered in the air, watching North work at his table. She would jump from one side to the other, agitated by what North had proposed just moments ago.

“It sounds like a brilliant plan to me, mate.” Bunny muttered over his paws as he plucked snow from between them, glancing up to see Tooth glaring at him, “What? They’re messin’ with my egg hunts!”

“They are not only causing egg troubles, Tooth, they are causing permanent damage!” North warned, brows furrowing as he carved the ice into his next brilliant Christmas toy idea. He would always fall into his work when he had to think, and this idea was something that definitely needed thinking over.

Sandman waved his hands in the air delicately, getting attention from two of them, and he began to motion his own take on the plan.

“He’s got a point!” Bunnymund said quickly when he realized that Sandman was agreeing with him, “We can’t keep eyes on them!”

“But Jack can! He’s a Guardian, he knows what’s expected of him!” Tooth tried to defend them, constantly looking towards the moon window, silently begging the Moon to return and admit he was wrong, or that there was at least another way.

“Knows what’s expected? Of _him_? _Jack_?” Bunny let out a short, sharp laugh of doubt, standing upright and making his way towards the fairy, “I doubt he even remembers being a Guardian!”

“Bunnymund!” Toothiana gasped out, offended for Jack, but the Easter spirit just continued.

“It was a mistake making him one! He doesn’t know the meaning of a day’s work, or commitment, or responsibility, or _anything_ that’ll keep him from messing around!”

“That’s not true! He is just as dedicated to this as you and I are!” Tooth yelled back, closing the distance between them in a second, floating a bit higher to stare Bunny down, trying to get him to back off. North continued his work, unperturbed by the ruckus going on behind him. Sandman floated slowly towards North, thinking that if things got hairy, he could easily knock the two out. At the moment, though, he was enjoying the show.

“Why are you even defending him? You know he’s been slacking off from the start!” Bunnymund accused, shoving a finger in her direction, only getting satisfaction when she slapped it away from her.

“Why are _you_ still carrying this grudge against him?! And don’t blame it on that little blizzard, you don’t do all _this_ because of a blizzard!” Tooth demanded to know, little hands balling into fists as she restrained to hit him across the muzzle.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you!” He growled, whiskers twitching and ears folding back a little, as if they were nearing a sensitive subject. This, however, only egged Tooth on.

“Then what is it? Was the kangaroo comment the last straw? Or are you jealous? He did help defeat Pitch, after all! Why are you so angry at him?!”

“B-because…”

“Well?!”

“Because I…”

“Say it, Bunny!”

“Because I don’t think he should have taken Mother Nature’s place!” He finally shouted, Toothiana’s eyes going wide and her wings now refusing to work, landing on her feet with a muffled ‘ _thump_ ’. Sandman’s jaw dropped and he, too, fell to his feet, alarmed symbols appearing above his head. Even North stopped working, turning in his chair to stare dumbly at Bunny, who was beginning to shrink into himself, obviously nervous about what he had just admitted to.

“It’s true!” Bunny finally spoke, still getting blank stares in return, “I hate him because he took her place! I miss Mother Nature!”

“Bunny…” Tooth began, but was interrupted.

“No! No pity, do _not_ give me pity!” Bunny huffed, his shoulders hunched and his ears folded back completely, defensive.

“We _all_ miss her, Bunny, but it was the Moon’s decision… He always has a good reason.” North tried to reason with him, turning his chair towards the creature completely.

“It was his decision to make Pitch, too! Are you saying that was a good idea? _This_ is also his decision!” He huffed, gesturing at the plans stretched out on North’s workbench, beside his ice sculpture of what looked to be a sled with some sort of propeller or jet attached to it, “Are you saying this is a good idea?!”

“Not everything seems good at the beginning,” North said, slowly standing as to not scare his friend, “but Manny knows what is best in the long run. Pitch… Pitch was not a decision. Pitch was a… an unfortunate… chance event. Manny had no control over what happened, and you know this.

“Mother Nature, she was a gift. To _all_ of us. But Manny knew that this,” he gestured to the globe, ignoring its slowly blinking lights and reddish hue, “ _this_ is better than what he originally planned. We have to trust him.”

Bunny stayed quiet now, eyes downcast as he listened, and when the man was done talking, he turned his back to them and hopped towards the fireplace, sitting beside it to keep himself warm in this cold workshop, “She taught us…. She helped us. How can I write him off as a ‘better decision’?”

Tooth let out a slow sigh, crossing her arms and hugging herself, then she looked over at North, her eyes filled with regret and apology, but North merely smiled and squeezed her shoulder, trying his best to reassure her.

“We have to call Jack in. He will tell the others.” North said strongly, getting a dubious glance from the rabbit.

“I’m not so sure…” Toothiana muttered reluctantly, getting a surprised look from all three of them, “What? You saw how he was when we tried to keep him from seeing Hiccup. We couldn’t trust him with something like this.”

“What do you suggest?” North asked, glancing over at Bunny, who only vaguely looked smug that Tooth saw it his way.

Sandman got their attention, waving his arms vehemently in the air, then smiling when he saw they were paying attention. He began to gesture, and when he was done, he was only greeted by pale faces.

“All four of them? In one spot?” North wheezed, looking like he might have to sit back down.

“The only place where all four of them could be without causing catastrophic harm are the north and south poles!” Tooth added, squeezing her hands together at her breast.

Sandman smiled wider and nodded eagerly, then opened up his arms, gesturing at the very building they were in. A look of understanding passed over their faces at once, then North harrumphed and said, “Well, if it is for greater good, then I agree!”

“If it’s the best we got.” Bunny piped up finally, not moving from his spot near the fire.

“Good, it’s settled! So, North, how about we go get those four seasons?” Tooth chirped, taking the initiative.

“Ah! Yes, good plan! Er, _however_ …!”

-_-_-_-_-

 

Jack carefully landed in Berk, or at least, what used to be Berk. This was the fourth time he was here, not in a row, of course, but he thought that by now he would have run into Hiccup at least once. He walked through the streets, a cloud of snow following him and slowly encasing the sky above the little island. The first time he had landed here, he had found himself completely unprepared for what he had seen. Corpses lying about freely, wind-blown houses and torn up roadways. He knew what Pitch had done, but he couldn’t imagine it to look _this_ horrifying.

The second time he came around, after searching for Hiccup and ultimately failing, he took it upon himself to get rid of the innocent victims, creating a large burial hole like they would during his own time, making sure to count each body and erect a symbol of their presence below ground with a stick or a stone or a pattern carved into the trees, one for each person. When he was just about done, it was time for him to move on, and he could do no more.

The third time, not much had changed, and Hiccup was still nowhere to be found. He began to wonder if he would ever run into the boy. He thought that surely he would, this was his home, why _wouldn’t_ he come back here?

But the answer came to him with ease, no matter how much it burned. He was chasing Merida. He was probably countries ahead of him by now, and Jack doubted he would stop until he saw the redheaded girl himself.

Now, he just sat atop a roof, staring out in the empty town. It was amazing, how quiet it was. How lonely it felt to be here. It seemed like the entire world forgot about the little island of Used-To-Be-Berk. Not one person had come ever since they awoke. He doubted anyone would ever come. That’s just how things were sometimes. Places were forgotten. People were left behind.

He hopped off the building, landing gracefully in the snow-covered road. He followed it slowly, scraping his staff along the walls of the houses lining the streets as he went. His eyes were skyward and his mind was in the clouds.

It wasn’t until he reached the end of the road did he come out of his imaginations. He stood there for a long time, eyes closed and focusing on the land, on the air. Hoping he could feel it shift as Autumn came for a visit, hoping he could feel the land beneath him strain from carrying two seasons at once.

It wouldn’t be too much trouble, however. Not for Used-To-Be-Berk, at least. Berk, like many other places around the world, were what the four seasons liked to called ‘shared territories’. They were places - cities, islands, towns - that were able to house sibling seasons -the two seasons next to each other, as in spring and summer, summer and autumn, autumn and winter, and winter and spring - at once. Any other place would fall to unbalance, causing heat waves and snow storms and tornadoes en masse so long as the two sibling seasons remained, which was why they would dart from one half of the world to the next so violently, all of them landing on the shared territories, just hoping they would run into the other.

On the other hand, there _were_ two places all four seasons could meet without violent changes in temperature, and they were the north and south pole. North’s workshop, being right at the north pole, would be the perfect place to join together, but at the same time, they would all be in North’s territory. With the wandering Yetis and the clumsy elves, they wouldn’t be able to stay hidden long enough to make any conversation.

Which would only leave the south pole for all of them to meet. The only downside was the fact that it was so vast and so _heartless_ to anything not made of ice, three out of four couldn’t stand it down there.

Jack took to the air again, deciding to give the forest and cove one last check before he moved on. He didn’t want to stick around too long, he had other places to visit. Hiccup would just have to wait. When the island had a healthy coating of white and still no Autumn spirit, Jack forced himself to take off, planning to hurry up to Pennsylvania so he can at least sulk in his home state.

Just as he was about to reach the end of the island, though, he heard a shouted garble, much like a yeti. His attention was caught, and so was his ankle, and he was suddenly and rather violently tugged back to the ground. He gave out a yelp, then slammed into the snow, bouncing once before landing face first. He groaned in pain, rolling onto his side and pressing a hand against his chest.

“Phil!” He yelled, then groaned again when his ribs screamed in protest. The yeti garbled its frantic apology, stomping towards the spirit and pulling him back up to his feet before he picked up the staff that had fallen a few feet away and handing it back to Jack. Upon touching it, Jack seemed to relax, but he leaned against the staff anyway, glaring at the yeti, “What were you thinking?!”

He huffed his response, gesturing wildly with his arms, then remembering something and revealed a burlap sack, opening it up and holding it out to Jack. They stared at each other quietly, then Phil urged the sack forward, as if asking Jack to get in himself.

“You have got to be kidding me…” Jack muttered flatly, his blank stare at the yeti going unnoticed as he tried to get Jack to step in again, “North’s idea?”

Phil nodded quickly, then nudged the bag forward again, pressing it against Jack’s chest now.

“Why don’t we just ditch the sack and go through the hole together?” Jack suggested, getting silence from the yeti at first, then a small glare of distrust, “What’s that look for? I’ll go, I swear!”

A warning grumble from Phil and a pointed finger jabbing at Jack’s chest let the frost spirit know he meant business, and when Jack laughed and promised to stay at his side, Phil only glared more.

He took out the snow globe anyway, still glaring at Jack, but he stated his destination, then threw the globe, creating the sink hole wormhole in front of them. Jack turned to Phil, who merely glared him down and pointed at the hole, wanting him to go in first. Jack rolled his eyes and laughed, holding up both hands in a submissive way, then stepped into the hole, being sucked in at what seemed to be a painful speed, but to him, it really just felt like walking through a windy doorway. Phil was right behind him, and the tunnel closed behind them. The yeti put a hand on Jack’s shoulder, North’s workshop in sight, and they both began walking towards it, taking the long way, just so Jack wouldn’t get any ideas of sneaking in like he used to.

Just as they reached the door to North’s workshop, Jack decided to call out, “North, we really need to talk about the proper social etiquette of inviting friends over!”

When he opened the door, he felt sudden fear bubble inside of him, seeing the Big Four in front of him, three of them looking surprised and North laughing.

“I… may have already told Phil to get Jack!” North said, getting sharp looks from the other three Guardians. Jack tried stepping back, but Phil pushed him in, then slammed the door shut, locking him in with his fellow Guardians.

“What did I do now?” Jack asked slowly, gripping his staff closer to himself and keeping close to the door, even though he knew Phil would be right there to grab him if he tried to run.

Tooth whispered something to North, looking angry and nervous, then quickly darted up to Jack, gesturing to Sandy and Bunny, then at the table as she said, “Hi, Jack! Long time no see! How are those teeth?”

Jack frowned in confusion, glancing towards the Sandman and Bunnymund as they hurried to the table and, with North’s help, folded up various papers and models, North tucking them away in his vast coat pockets. “I’m… uh… what?”

“Wow, just as white as ever!” Tooth seemed to force out, laughing nervously as she tried to distract the boy, constantly getting in his line of vision and keeping his eyes off the three behind her, “What brings you here?”

Jack stared at her blankly, then said with sarcasm, “Oh nothing, just a friendly visit.”

“Oh! Wow, how… thoughtful!” Tooth laughed again, only making Jack roll his eyes and sidestep around her.

“Okay, what’s going on here?” He questioned them, much more sure of himself when he realized he wasn’t about to get scolded, “North, why did you bring me here?”

“Wouldn’t we all like to know?” Bunnymund muttered sourly, glaring at the larger man, who merely grinned in response.

“Call it an… emergency Guardian meeting!” North decided to say, shrugging his shoulders and stepping towards Jack, pulling him into a brief hug, then placing both hands on his shoulders, practically crushing him unintentionally.

“For… what?” Jack asked with a frown, “Don’t tell me it’s Pitch again!”

“No, mate… It’s you.” Bunny said coldly, getting a loud ‘shh!’ from Tooth. Jack cast around a confused look, but no one elaborated.

“Okay…” Jack muttered, stepping out of North’s grip and frowning at him, “What about me?”

They all looked at each other nervously, then North sighed and said, “It is not _just_ you, Jack. It is all ofyou.” He stepped to the side, going towards the door and opening it, showing Jack the globe in the room beside them visible through the doorway. Jack’s eyes widened and his jaw slackened as he stared at the pulsing globe, obviously distraught and strained.

“What’s going on?” He asked, floating towards the device and placing a hand over the lights, watching them flicker. He thought for a moment, and without their answer, he already knew what was happening, “What are we doing?”

“We spoke to Manny, Jack…” North called out to him, but Jack continued to fly around the globe, watching as the colours changed and the lights blinked. He noticed a deep green dot darting around the globe. Hiccup, it must have been him. “We need to talk to you. All of you.”

Jack didn’t reply at first, his eyes following the bouncing green dot, but when the words hit him, he finally turned and looked at the moon window, not seeing anything but clouds, but he could just feel the worry and fear beginning to bubble inside of him.

“What did he say?” He asked in a whisper, finally turning to North.

The man wouldn’t answer him, he just gestured to his workshop once more, urging Jack to follow. When they were both inside again, North closed the door and offered Jack a seat, which he refused.

“Tell me what he said.” Jack demanded softly, clenching his jaw as he spoke and trying not to let the worry show, “I deserve to know.”

“You will know. I promise. But we need to get the others first.” North explained slowly, making sure he was blocking the door out, “When we have the others, we will explain.”

Jack blinked a few times, trying to regulate his breathing. It had to be bad. He just knew it. They wouldn’t act like this if it was something good. He looked at Tooth, who just crossed her arms and floated further away, shaking her head. His eyes dropped to Sandy, who at least gestured his apology. He looked to Bunny, getting a gaze in return.

“I’m sorry, mate…” He muttered, and he truly meant it, “But you’ll understand.”

Jack let out a slow sigh, squeezing his staff and leaning on it, then said quietly, “I’ll… I’ll go get them…”

“You can’t.” Tooth said quickly, apologetically, “Just wait here. We’ll get them.” She turned to Bunny, then to Sandy, and the three of them left in their respective exits, Toothiana shooting out from the window, Bunnymund disappearing down one of his tunnels and leaving behind a single daisy, and Sandman just walking out of the room, closing the door behind him. North looked at Jack, then gently lead him to the chair at his workbench, letting him sit.

“What did we do…? Why didn’t you stop us?” Jack asked weakly, not daring to look up at the man, for fear of seeing reprimand or, even worse, pity.

“We had no idea it would be so violent.” North admitted, bringing up a chair for himself and sitting beside the boy, “We thought it was Pitch’s doing at first. That’s why I sent the yetis.”

“We saw them. We knew you were watching us, but…” He let out a disappointed sigh, mostly for himself, then pressed his forehead against the staff, muttering, “I messed up again…”

“It is not your fault, Jack.” North said strictly, pressing a hand against his shoulder, “You did not know. You are not to blame.”

“Then who is?” He asked, eyes finally lifting up towards the man’s face, relieved that he saw only understanding in those eyes of his.

“Sometimes, no one is. Right now, we do not know.” He said with a smile, patting him on the back a few times, “But right now, we have a duty. And so do you. You are, after all, a Guardian, Jack.”

“Right…” He sighed, not wanting to comment about how he already messed that up, but North seemed to take the hint.

“Hey,” He shook him a little, getting his attention again, “Trust Manny. He knows what he is doing.”

Jack nodded slowly, giving North a half-smile before asking, “Can I at least know what he’s planning? I’m not going anywhere.”

North sighed, then cast an unsure eye at the door before smirking and saying, “Alright, just because you are my favourite!”

Jack laughed a little, but he turned his attention to the man’s words as he began.

 

-_-_-_-_-

 

Hiccup flew without purpose. Where he went, he brought Fall, and the occasional dust storm or tornado where he saw fit. His mind was so preoccupied, he would barely stop in Berk. Of course, he wasn’t too clouded to keep track of where he bounced around. Half of his thoughts were on the dreams, the other half on the fire-headed woman he chased. It was a pointless chase, he knew that now, but he still played the game anyway. Just as the others did, he knew. The first year Jack had waited for him in Berk, Hiccup knew, and he slunk away without being noticed. At least, he thought he did, and after that, he barely stopped for more than a few days.

He had just come from there, actually. A few weeks out, headed towards the next shared territory. Toothless had been chirping tunelessly since, and Hiccup knew he had wanted to stop and pretend to sleep like before, but Hiccup didn’t have the stomach to run into Jack again.

Back to his thoughts now. Hiccup’s eyes turned skyward, clouded over just as the sun was. At least three of them had good dreams, all of them about one another. But Pitch, the very man who put them in the ‘coma’ that lead to this chaos, was the _Nightmare King_. If he was given such a title, Hiccup wondered, then where were the nightmares? Was everything he told about Pitch, _everything_ he was afraid of, untrue? If so, why was he told such stories?

Toothless growled uncomfortably, making Hiccup click his tongue, “Come on, boy, just a few more miles. We’ll rest soon, I promise.”

Toothless huffed and shook his body, obviously uncomfortable from being saddled for too long. Hiccup sighed and scratched Toothless’ head, hoping to calm him down, “Ok, we’ll stop at the next territory, alright?”

A cheerful chirp let Hiccup know how pleased he was with that idea, making the boy smile. He decided to give his thoughts a rest and instead enjoyed his flight, closing his eyes and letting the wind run its fingers through his hair and brush along his cheeks. The almost soothing touches of the rushing air filled the rider’s mind with memories. Fingers just as cold, even through the cloth of Hiccup’s shirt. A breath just as chilled and sharp against his cheek. A bite through the sleeve of his shirt,  the whip and tug of his clothes almost violently, almost desperately, but never really venturing underneath.

Hiccup let out a yelp, his hand falling away from where it was twisting on his shirt, coiling the cloth around his fingertips just as Toothless hit the ground. A concerned growl from the beast as he looked over his shoulder, but Hiccup just smiled at him and slid off his back, “Come on, buddy, let’s find somewhere to sit.”

He pulled off the saddle with a few tugs from the belts, but he left the sail on, just so he wouldn’t have to fight the restless beast to put it back on later. When the saddle was off and tucked under Hiccup’s arm, they began to walk through the forest, Toothless twisting around trees behind the boy. Hiccup’s thoughts began to wander again, but before he was able to delve too far into his daydreams, Toothless grunted and nudged his nose against Hiccup’s back, letting out a distressed whine.

“What? What is it?” Hiccup stammered, being momentarily knocked off balance, but he stayed upright. He turned towards his dragon, only to have him press his nose against his stomach, shoving him a bit more. “What is it? Stop it!”

Toothless keened and pointed his nose towards the trees behind them, getting a sigh from his rider.

“We _just_ landed, Toothless! I _just_ unsaddled you!” Hiccup complained, turning back around and continuing his search for a cave. Toothless keened more, galloping his way through the trees and in front of Hiccup, blocking off his path, growling at the boy.

“Wha-?! Toothless! What are you doing?!” Hiccup huffed, pushing on the nose of his dragon, but the beast stayed still, growling louder, but behind him, “What got into you?”

He turned and looked behind him, seeing only trees, but Toothless seemed to hunch forward, growling still. He searched the trees, squinting his eyes, but still saw nothing.

“There’s nothing.” Hiccup sighed flatly, turning a bored eye at Toothless, who merely snorted and huffed towards the trees, eyes slitted and teeth bared. Hiccup sighed and rubbed his fingers against his eyes, then started walking towards the trees, looping around them a few times, then stopping in Toothless’ line of sight, throwing out his arms, “ _Nothing._ ”

Toothless’ ears slowly rose, his snarl weakening and his growl dying. He began to slowly relax, but then Hiccup was grabbed from behind and hoisted into the air, the boy letting out a yell of surprise and he began to squirm.

Toothless crouched into action, the coil of his tail and crackling in his throat meaning he was about to make a shot. Hiccup brought his knees up as far as they could go, but then saw the very feet, no matter how furry they were, of his captor, and quickly shouted, “Toothless, stop! Don’t shoot!”

Toothless seemed to consider whether or not listening was a good idea, but with a sharp look from his rider, he snapped his jaw shut and swallowed his shot. His eyes were still slitted and his snarl was still sharp, but he kept from attacking. When Hiccup was still being held in the air, Hiccup tried looking over his shoulder, letting the rest of his body hang.

“Uh… Can I possibly be set down? If it’s not too much trouble…” He tried asking, but when he got the garbled chatter as a response, he laughed anxiously and muttered, “Right… that made… so much sense.”

Behind him, Hiccup heard the familiar crackle and woosh of a snow globe opening.

“Ooooh no…” He whined, then gasped when he was swung through the sink drain of a tunnel, the last thing he heard being Toothless’ shriek of surprise before he felt himself twisted then spat out into snow. Giving out another yelp from the cold, he pushed himself to his feet, only to be knocked forward again when Toothless collided with him, practically howling in worry as he pressed his nose against his rider, making sure he was alright.

“Toothless! Toothless, stop! It’s freezing!” He shouted, pushing the dragon’s head off of him, then shakily getting back up, leaning against the black beast as support as he shivered. When the Yeti who brought him over stepped through and the tunnel closed, Hiccup huffed and climbed onto his dragon bareback, the saddle -luckily- in the Yeti’s hand.

“Why can’t he just send a letter? I don’t think throwing your guests into wormholes is the polite thing to do in these situations!” Hiccup complained, pressing close to his dragon to try and stay warm, lowering the amount of himself he was hit by the frozen winds. The Yeti had begun walking and Toothless knew to follow, using his wings to try and lessen the breeze that hit the boy on his back, much to Hiccup’s gratefulness.

It took a long crawl, but they made it into the workshop, staying in the Globe Room so Hiccup could warm himself by the fire. He had lived for so long in Berk, in what seemed like the center of the blizzard, nine months straight, but ever since he became Autumn, his resilience towards the cold weakened.

“Ah, I knew I could trust those Yetis to do the work.” came a voice from the other side of the room, piquing Hiccup’s attention.

“Bunnymund?” He questioned, furrowing his brows when he saw the rabbit step out from behind the globe, egg in his paw and a paintbrush in the other, focused on the delicate task, “Where’s North?”

“Chattin’ it up with the popsicle. They haven’t come out for days, at least not that I’ve seen.” He snorted, nodding towards the door leading to North’s work room. Hiccup eyed the door curiously, crossing his arms and rubbing them, trying to return the blood flow. Toothless curled in closer to his rider, ignoring Bunny’s presence for favour of the fire.

“What are we doing here? We stayed away from each other…” Hiccup began, becoming wary of what was going on.

“Don’t wet yourself, mate, it’s not just you two.” He sighed, turning back to his egg and continuing his slow pace around the globe, “Might as well sit tight and get comfortable, it’ll be a  long wait before the others show.”

Hiccup sighed and leaned against Toothless, tucking his knees closer to himself, his prosthetic scraping along the ground, “At least I got the _happy_ guardian…” He muttered sarcastically, an ear twitching in his direction, but his words going ignored.

 

-_-_-_-_-

 

Merida ran through the lands, barely running out of breath or speed. Where her feet touched, grass greened. Where her breath fell, heat swelled. Where her hands stroked, the sun shone. Even the water of the seas bowed to her, allowing her passage through its vast floors in what could only be called a bubble of her summer air.

New lands, more space to run, and run she did. The burn through her muscles only resembled the heat she pushed through the lands. She would rest every few months, climbing the mountains and sitting at their peaks or splashing in the running water of rivers and lakes, catching fish for the nostalgia.

Now, she sat atop a cliff side, gazing upon the horizon, playing with her hair. As the sun began to set, she rose her braid and compared it to the red horizon, tilting her head and closing one eye.

“Try again tomorrow, I’m still more red.” She quipped with a grin, unraveling her braid and letting her hair fall back over her shoulders. She flopped down onto her back, stretching her arms above her head, then rolled onto her side, letting out a happy sigh as the wind brushed her cheek. She noticed a few small flowers dotting the edge of the cliff, so she rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself closer, plucking one of the little purple flowers from its roots. She twirled it between her fingers, resting her chin on her palm.

Rapunzel danced into her mind, and she let the flower dance similarly through the air, floating ever so higher and further away from her. She watched the flower go in a daze, sighing softly and letting her feet kick in the air, crisscrossing. She could only recall her face, Rapunzel’s voice slipping just out of her mental grasp.

She rolled onto her back, staring up at the darkening sky. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine the spirit of Spring with her, lying beside her and curling her against her, cheek rested on her shoulder and hair splayed out amongst the rocks, flowing freely in the summer breeze. If she really put her mind to it, she could imagine her lips, the very touch of them against her own.

Of course, no matter how much she wished it, she would never be able to feel her skin.  The curse of the seasons would always keep them apart, no doubt. And yet, she had no proof of her own that this curse was true.

Practically the day of her choosing from the Moon himself, she met with the three others,  and the rules were set out before her. The Guardians were welcoming, kind, compassionate, but they were strict and made sure she understood her role.

It was _always_ a role she was forced to be in. Even before her change, she was following rules and regulations. The only time she was ever free was during those short few years when her mother understood. Those short few years where she was not choosing decisions already made for her, wearing clothes already laid out for her, or presenting herself in a way that was accepted. And now, even though royalty had been swept off the table, there were still all of these silly rules dictating her.

Were they truly free, she wondered. Were they truly unbound, unchained, and allowed to walk the Earth without worry? Has freedom always been so restricting?

Is her freedom not her chain? Her shackles to the Man in the Moon’s ideal world, his ideal system?

She felt her anger burning, the lust for true freedom, which this life must definitely not be, pumping through her tireless veins. She got to her feet and began her descent, then ran through the lands, bringing with her a heat wave of pain and uncertainty.

She knew where her freedom was, dancing along the countries with golden hair and a blinding smile with grace hidden behind her Earth-shy feet. She wanted to be able to grasp her, pull her in, keep her for herself, but no matter how close she could get, she knew she would never be able to touch her.

Her run stopped mid-country, the heat settling around her. This curse was the first rule she was taught. The sibling seasons could not touch. Not regionally and not physically.  For reasons unknown, her hands would stay abstinent from her Spring’s skin. It was, supposedly, discovered by Jack and Hiccup, reasonable enough, as they were the first two seasons chosen.

But with the information gained from Jack, Merida wondered exactly what brought them to discovering such a curse. And now, even more so than ever, she wondered what exactly their infamous fight was all about. She was the last one chosen, so she knew nothing of it, but she knew of a sweet, golden-haired girl who would.

Find Rapunzel was her new goal, and a short one it would be, for at that moment, she was approached by a Sandy himself.

He smiled to her, waving his hello, slowly floating his way towards the girl. She didn’t speak, it was pointless trying to have a conversation with a mute man, but she waved in return. Confusion etched into her face, and Sandy merely seemed to laugh.

He gestured and symbolized with his sand, but his language was foreign to her, so she shook her head silently and shrugged. Sandman looked distressed for a moment, then stuck a hand into his chest, the sand molding into itself. Merida gasped, flinching back a bit, but when he pulled out the snow globe, she relaxed and understood.

He wanted to take her somewhere, she realized. If it was one of the Guardians themselves, then it must have been important. He held  the globe out to her, making sand-symbols of North’s workshop. Merida nodded, then whispered the location into the globe, watching the image briefly appear in the swirling snow. Sandy tossed the globe behind him, letting it open in its noisy way, then stepped -or floated- aside to let Merida step through first. She bowed her head a little in thanks, then took a cautious step into the swirling tunnel only to step out into snow and wind. She shuddered, then looked over her shoulder to see Sandy behind her, creating for himself a scarf of sand and winking at her. He floated through the snow and ice towards the workshop, Merida close behind him.

When she entered, she was immediately greeted by Hiccup and Bunnymund sitting by the fire, an egg and paintbrush in their hands.

“What _is_ that? I thought you said you could paint, mate!” Bunny huffed, looking at Hiccup’s egg.

“I said I can _draw_ , there’s a difference! And it’s a dragon!” Hiccup claimed, hugging his egg closer to himself so Bunnymund wouldn’t be able to see it as well, but he just leaned in closer to the boy.

“That’s just a smudge! With a line coming out of it!”

“That’s a tail!”

“Don’t tell me I was brought down here to paint eggs with you lot!” Merida called out, immediately getting Hiccup’s attention. The egg in his hand fumbled, but Bunnymund caught it before it hit the ground while Hiccup pulled himself up to his feet.

“Merida!” He gasped out, smiling shyly and trying to make himself look presentable for her, “Wha- What are you doing here? I-I mean… I _know_ what, but… uh… wow, ok, try it again,” he cleared his throat, “Hi!”

Merida laughed a little, embarrassed for him, “Hello, Hiccup. What are we doing here?”

“I uh… I don’t know…” Hiccup stammered, still smiling dumbly and wringing his hands together.

“I thought you said you did.” She said, crossing her arms and raising her brows. Hiccup laughed weakly, wringing his hands tighter and murmuring, “Yeah… I did…”

“So…?” She sing-sang, tilting her head a little.

“Uh… um…” He cleared his throat again, “I-I-I think it has to do with us, uh, bouncing around so much… um… J-Jack is, uh, here too!” He pointed towards the door to North’s workroom, “He won’t… He won’t come out, though. North won’t either, they’re just… there.”

“But you’ve seen them yourself?” She asked, doubtful. Hiccup seemed to freeze up at this, even his hands faltering, then he clenched his jaw shut and his eyes darted to the door, then to Merida, then to Bunny. He pointed at the rabbit.

“He saw them.” He said quickly, getting a sigh from his redheaded friend.

“Have you ever talked to a girl before, boy?” Bunnymund teased him, looking at the boy from over his egg, smirking cruelly.

Hiccup just glared at him, then smiled back at Merida, “I’m sure it’ll all be explained when Rapunzel gets here!”

Merida squinted a little, pursing her lips in thought, then asked, “Bunnymund won’t tell you?”

“Uh, no, he said it was better if we were all here…” Hiccup explained weakly, rubbing the back of his neck, “And since the only other guardian here is Sandy, I… don’t think we’ll be able to figure it out.”

Merida looked over at the golden man, who was accepting a drink from one of the elves, thanking him with a smile. She sighed and ran her fingers through the scalp of her hair, pressing it flat against her neck, then turned back to Hiccup and let her hands fall.

“I guess we’ll wait. Have another egg?”

“I have plenty.” Bunnymund grinned, nodding towards a pile of unpainted eggs and a selection of brushes, “Hope you’re better than this dipstick.”

 

-_-_-_-_-

She walked leisurely, though a stride for her was a hundred for others, the world zipping past her as though she were sitting on Toothless. Rapunzel paid special attention to the fauna and flora, her hands causing the flowers and trees to bloom, her voice coaxing the birth of new life. She would sing, mostly for the nature, but partially just because she loved to do it, and for the few children that believed in her, her songs were soothing and awe-inspiring, sometimes lulling children to sleep, other times rousing them up for a fresh new day.

Her hair trailed behind her; she usually left it down instead of tying it up in a braid. Sometimes it would snag somewhere, which was a hassle when it happened, but where it would snag would usually be where she would need to revisit, and though it was a pain retracing her steps, she would gladly do it if it meant doing a proper job.

Of course, as of late, she’s been a bit too distracted, and when her hair snagged, she would merely grab it in both hands, then whip it into the air as strong as she could, creating a sort of rolling wave until it was free, then she would move on. She’s been wanting to see Jack, of course. It had been years, decades even, since she saw _anyone_ , but Jack was the first that she craved to lay eyes on. His cocky smile and prankster attitude that led to somewhat harmless fun… it made her nostalgic to watch him, almost heartbroken to interact with him, but covering that pain was the pure ecstasy of being by his side.

It was probably true that she was just projecting her human love, Eugene, onto the silver-haired boy. The two were so similar in traits, and it really struck a chord in her, but there were some things about Jack and Jack alone that made Rapunzel weak in the knees. First, was his socialite personality that matched her own. He, on one hand, did it because he loved talking to people, interacting with them and getting to know them. She, on the other hand, did it because she still craved human interaction from her time being locked away in a castle with the only company being her imposter-mother.

Second, his never-ending thirst for fun, even if it meant mischief. Rapunzel wasn’t very much into mischief, but she was always interested in playing a game or two. And the games he could come up with were always a brilliant way of killing time.

Lastly, was his eyes. He was always so expressive, not that Eugene wasn’t, but unlike Eugene, Jack just couldn’t lie with his eyes. Those brilliant blues always showed the truth, and it barely took one of skill to interpret every twitch and glance. And that honesty was probably one of the biggest things that drew her to him, that made her want to curl up in his arms and listen to his voice reverberate in his chest as he whispered comfortingly to her.

Of course, that would _never_ happen because of the Season’s Curse. If it had been Hiccup she were interested in, they could have come together in the icy arctics and laid with each other all they wanted, but she held no romantic feelings for the boy. Luckily enough, he felt nothing more than friendship for her, either, and they’ve been able to keep something of a healthy, stable relationship, even through all of this turmoil.

She wondered if Merida and Jack’s relationship was the same or if they actually had romantic feelings for one another. She briefly recalled Merida’s dream, but figured she only meant as a friend, like herself and Hiccup. If they truly were together, Rapunzel definitely stood no chance. Merida was probably so much more like Jack than Rapunzel was, and while it was okay to Rapunzel for them to be in an exclusive relationship, she couldn’t help but think how upset she would be if it were true.

But, she thought to herself, jumping to conclusions won’t help anyone. She decided to calm herself by sitting beside a stream, perched atop a boulder and letting the water run over her feet. She tilted her head back, letting out a content sigh, then began to sing wordlessly. It was almost as if the chirps and calls of nature was her harmonious partner, creating a duet that would never be repeated, even if she sang her bars exactly the same.

Her song was cut short when she heard an unfamiliar twig snap above her. Her voice faltered, and she heard a soft gasp, then a gentle plea, “No, please, continue. It was beautiful…”

Rapunzel looked around, wary of who it would be, but when she spotted a darting blur of green, blue and purple, she relaxed and smiled curiously, “What are you doing here?”

Toothiana stopped flying beside a tree, letting her delicate feet touch the ground and pressing a hand against the wood, watching the blond and not hiding the snow globe in her hand. Rapunzel saw the globe and understood, not needing to ask again.

“It’s only for a little while. We just need to talk about something important.” Toothiana explained, but Rapunzel’s look of dismay remained, and she tucked her knees to her chest, pulling her skirt tight around her ankles.

“We?” She asked nervously, looking up from the globe in Tooth’s hand and to the woman’s eyes, which looked sad, but confident.

“The Guardians and you. All of you.” She replied, placing both hands on the globe now and stepping forward gracefully, which was pretty impressive for her small feet, “You’ll be back before you know it.”

Rapunzel lowered her eyes, her uneasiness misplaced, but not misunderstood by the both of them. She had always been wary of being taken places by others, mostly if it was just herself, but she knew the Guardians meant her no harm.

“Can I just…” She nodded towards the water and Tooth smiled.

“Can I join you?” Tooth asked in return, stepping a bit closer, but not sitting on the same boulder until Rapunzel smiled at her and made room. The woman used her wings to lift her, then lowered onto her feet on the boulder before crouching down and tucking her tail feathers beneath her, sitting with her knees to her chest and the snow globe cradled against her breast.

“Do you sing?” Rapunzel asked, beginning to braid her hair. Going through wormholes with her hair down could cause a lot of problems that she really didn’t want to experience again, so she thought it best to tie it up as best as she could.

“I try. I’m not very good, but I try.” Tooth said shyly, smiling a bit when Rapunzel laughed.

“Sing along if you’d like.” Rapunzel offered before she resumed her wordless song. Tooth stayed quiet, sitting beside her and occasionally running her fingers over the cool glass of the snow globe, her eyes trained on the blond as she braided and sang.

When her braid was just about done, her song petered off, and the nature around them seemed to sigh with dissatisfaction, wanting her to continue just as much as she wanted to continue, but if she was really needed, she probably already made them wait long enough.

“Ready?” Tooth asked in a whisper, getting to her feet and cradling the globe in one arm before holding out her hand for Rapunzel, who took it happily, but gently. When she was on her feet, too, she nodded, and Tooth whispered to the globe, almost kissing it with how close she held it to her lips. The image of the workshop glimpsed in the evermoving snow, she gave it an underhand toss in front of them, opening right before them and waiting for them to step through. Tooth looked at Rapunzel expectantly, but calmly, then gestured for her to walk in first.

“Fair warning, though. It might be a bit cold on the other side.” She tried to joke, and Rapunzel smiled, just to make it all seem normal, before she stepped through. Right as she came to the other side, her feet sunk in the snow, some of it melting and being replaced by grass, however small it was.

When Toothiana appeared behind her and the wormhole closed, they began to move forward, Tooth offering to carry her, but Rapunzel refusing as to not burden the Guardian.

A short trek later, and they found themselves in the Globe room, Rapunzel immediately feeling calm when she was greeted with a chorus of “Finally!”

“Did the groundhog see its shadow on your way over?” Hiccup complained, sitting beside a small pile of eggs with a half-painted one in his hands. They ranged from bad to worse, and his anger was obviously directed at his inability to use a paint brush properly.

“Oh, hush, Hiccup!” Merida shushed him, setting down her Celtic-esque eggs -which were a much better quality than the poor dragon rider’s- and getting to her feet, smiling at Rapunzel in greeting, “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you both, too.” Rapunzel replied with a smile, stepping a bit closer to Merida, but staying out of arm’s reach, and they nodded at each other. Then, she ran to Hiccup, dropping to her knees and hugging him, nearly knocking the egg out of his hand and he yelped in surprise.

“Hey! Don’t drop the goods!” Bunnymund scolded, his own pile that put the other two to shame in both height and quality on display, and he easily caught the fallen egg, holding the crudely half-painted disaster to his chest as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

Sandy gesticulated his amusement that only Toothiana and Bunny could interpret, and the two Guardians shared a laugh. They all gathered around the fire, Tooth and Sandy sitting between Merida and Rapunzel and Bunny between Hiccup and Merida, just as a physical cushion. Rapunzel was given a handful of eggs, and soon she was painting, too.

When she had finished her first egg, Bunnymund took it from her and examined it critically, then grinned, “Now _this_ is a beauty! You two should take lessons from her!”

“Of course hers are good,” Merida said with a smile, “She’s a fantastic artist.”

“She’s a fantastic _painter_.” Hiccup muttered miserably, trying but failing to paint another dragon on his egg, then giving up and placing it on the rest of his depressing little pile. Merida and Rapunzel laughed before they tried to coax him out of his pout, and after a few minutes, he was smiling again. He didn’t pick up another egg, however, and instead defaulted to laying with Toothless by the fire and scratching his chin, eliciting a deep rumble from the beast.

Then, without a warning, the door to North’s workroom slammed open, North stepping out first and with a joyous, booming voice, he announced, “Alright, everyone! It is time to begin the meeting! Elves, Yetis, prepare the food! Come, we will eat as we talk!”

The three Guardians all stood, happy at the mention of food, but the three seasons lagged behind, looking over at the workroom door to see Jack staggering out of the room, leaning heavily on his cane.

“Jack?!” Rapunzel gasped out, stepping forward, but stopping. Merida glanced at the blond, then rushed forward and ducked under his arm, gripping his wrist tightly to keep him upright.

“I’m… I’m fine.” He stammered out, but he didn’t push the redhead away. The other Guardians had paused and watched as Merida helped Jack walk forward, worry etched on all of their faces except for North, who merely frowned.

Hiccup wanted to help just as much as Rapunzel did, but they both stayed rooted to their spots. Hiccup turned to North, meeting his gaze, then questioned coldly, “What did you do to him?!”

“I did nothing.” North said with a shrug, “He wanted to go on rampage, so I let him. What is wrong with a little stress relief?”

Jack slumped a little, his feet barely able to hold himself up, but after a few steps, he reassured Merida that he could walk, and she reluctantly let him go. Hiccup squeezed his hands into fists and Rapunzel glanced between Jack and the Guardians warily.

“Jack, are you sure you’re okay?” Hiccup asked as Jack got closer, taking a step back himself, but holding out his arms just in case. Jack didn’t acknowledge the motion.

“I’m okay.” He whispered, pausing to looked Hiccup in the eye, smiling gratefully, but sadly, then he leaned his head on the curve of his staff and took a few deep breaths, “I’m fine.” He reassured himself.

Suddenly, he stood up straighter, eyes determined and a foreign aura cloaked the boy, and the other three seasons suddenly felt wary of what this conversation would be about. They knew now it was something none of them would like, something possibly horrible if it made Jack feel like he needed to throw aside his fun-loving personality for more than a moment, much less a whole conversation.

“We have things to discuss. Let’s get to the dining room and talk about them.” He led, walking ahead of all of them at a quick pace. North followed without a second thought, and the other three Guardians did as well, but at a much slower pace. The three seasons, however, stood there for a while longer, unable to help the fear the burning in their stomachs. They glanced at one another, able to feel each other’s anxiety and reluctance, then began to walk forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So no one wants to beta? :(
> 
> Ok then.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why?! What makes it different?! What makes you a Guardian now?!”  
>  “The children! Hiccup!” Jack yelled back, shooting a glare at the boy, “I have to keep them safe! I have to keep them happy! And so do you. It’s why we were made --it’s our purpose.”  
>  Hiccup bit his lip, but his gaze didn’t waver. He knew it was true, he knew the children were what they strived to keep safe --the Guardians most of all. He felt the fight leave his body, replaced with the dull ache of his collision and the sense of loneliness in his bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooooooo sorry for the delay i lost my internet for a while there, but hey look at that I got it back on friday and went back to typing (this is on google docs, so i couldn't get to it) so here you go hope you like it theres some porn sorry if it ruins it for you.

The table they sat at was circular, and they sat so each Guardian excluding Jack sat between each Season. Hiccup sat across from Merida, Jack from Rapunzel, North from Sandy, and Tooth from Bunny. The table was covered in plates with hot food and plenty of drinks to go around, along with some cookies and cakes. It was surprising to see everything set up so quickly, and if the entire room didn’t have this dark, foreboding aura in the air, the seasons would have been thoroughly impressed.

“Eat!” North urged, the only one who would put on a smile in this almost chokingly tense situation, “Do not make me feel singled out!” He began to fill his plate and, slowly, everyone else did too. This made North smile warmly, and he refused to begin talking about whatever it was they were there for until everyone had at least finished their first serving.

Tooth and Sandy seemed to be in a conversation about their work, Bunny was focused on his eggs, and North was merely looking over everyone, making sure they were all having their share. Aside from Tooth’s whispered chatting, the room was painfully quiet, but no one moved to fix it.

When the last plate had been emptied, North let out a troubled sigh and said, “Alright, we must get down to business.”

The Guardians -Jack included- all seemed to sit up a bit straighter, a kind of seriousness coming over them. Hiccup stared mostly at Jack, confused and worried, and when he glanced to Merida and Rapunzel, he saw he was not the only one. Merida seemed to be trying to keep calm and confident, but when she lifted her hand from the table to put her napkin on her plate, Hiccup could see it trembling. She had to place it in her hand and squeeze them together to stop them, though her teeth still threatened to chatter.

Rapunzel didn’t seem like she wanted to hide it, her eyes were wide and jumping from person to person, never resting in one spot for too long, and she continued to fidget with her hair that she hung over her shoulder. The braid was still in tact, but a few strands of hair were beginning to come loose.

“I am sure you have all noticed the Yetis recently.” North began, wiping his hands on a napkin and straightening up in his seat, holding an air of authority, “I sent them, because what I witnessed on the globe was what I could only believe to be Pitch interfering.

“What I did not expect, but was, ultimately,  reported back, was the utter chaos and permanent destruction being caused by your actions.”

All three non-Guardian seasons immediately looked down at their laps, realizing they were being scolded. Hiccup began fidgeting with his fork, Rapunzel messing with her hair faster, and Merida crossing her arms with her brows furrowed.

“I would ask what you were trying to do, but I think it is obvious now.” North sighed, leaning his elbows on the table and frowning, “You know that down there, you are not meant to be near each other. Even here it is dangerous! What I want to know… What we _all_ want to know, is _why_? What drove you to doing this?”

Now Jack lowered his gaze to the table, but he stayed sitting upright and he decided he would speak first. Shifting the staff in his lap, he murmured, “I wanted to see Hiccup again. My motive is nothing new, but I recognize I became more… determined this time around. I want to blame it on Pitch’s attack, but I’m not sure if that’s it, really.”

Hiccup’s brows furrowed, and he looked up through his lashes, meeting the boy’s gaze. Neither of them looked away, so Hiccup straightened up a little and said, “I was trying to see Merida.”

Jack looked hurt, but his eyes still stuck.

“Why?” North prodded, getting Hiccup’s glance, then a shrug.

“I just… wanted to see her. I figured, the more I bounced around, the better a chance I would have at catching her. I just wanted to talk to her…” He looked over at Merida, who looked back at him, confused.

“If you just wanted someone to talk, why didn’t you wait at Berk? Jack was waiting there for you, you know.” She questioned, leaning forward a bit, only to make Hiccup lean back.

“I… I know. I couldn’t….  didn’t want to see him. I just wanted to see you.” He muttered shyly, Jack looking even more hurt now and he gripped his staff tighter. Merida looked uncomfortable, and Rapunzel glanced between the two, confused.

A silence fell over them, and North looked at the two girls expectantly, waiting for them to share their piece. The two shared a glance, then Rapunzel pushed her hair back over her shoulder and stuttered, “I-I was… uh… actually I was looking for Jack… F-for no specific reason I just… wanted to see him…”

North furrowed his brows, then looked at Merida with an inquisitive look, getting and eyeroll and a sigh.

“I was after Rapunzel. For reasons I’m sure are the same as everyone else, but they’re too scared to admit it.” She crossed her arms again, “Let’s face it, we have a pattern here. This is what’s causing the problem!”

“She’s right. We’re too busy trying to catch the season ahead of us.” Hiccup had to agree, looking down at his plate and still feeling Jack’s eyes on him, but he tried his best to ignore it.

“What started all this?” North questioned, looking over the four seasons as they thought, but none of them seemed to be able to think of an answer.

“I’d like to blame Pitch,” Jack repeated, squeezing the staff a bit, “but like I said, my motives are nothing new.”

Hiccup furrowed his brows in thought, remembering the dreams, then he looked up and met Jack’s gaze, startling the boy, “What did you dream of?”

“This again?” Merida scoffed, narrowing her eyes at him, “That’s history, Hiccup. It was just a silly dream.”

“N-no, really, hear me out. Jack,” He pressed his hands on the table, giving him a determined look, “What did you dream of?”

“I told you.” Jack said with a frown, “I dreamt of you.”

“And was it a good dream?”

“I…. guess?”

Hiccup looked satisfied by this answer, sitting up straighter as he thought, “We all… We all dreamt of each other, right? And they were _good_ dreams! Maybe it _is_ Pitch after all!”

North seemed doubtful and Merida just rolled her eyes at him, but Sandman seemed piqued by this new development and gestured for Hiccup to continue. The dragon rider cleared his throat, hoping he was on the right track.

“Look, I think maybe Pitch _wanted_ us to go after each other! He knew the unbalance it would cause, he _had_ to. Maybe he’s using _us_ as a cover for something bigger!”

The room was quiet with thought, but Hiccup felt proud of himself. _That_ was why they had those dreams, it wasn’t just coincidence! But before he could revel in his discovery, Merida snorted and said, “Hiccup, they were just dreams! I bet even _before_ Pitch did… whatever he did to you, we all felt the same way towards each other.”

Hiccup felt his heart drop, then looked at the other two Seasons only to get agreeing looks from them. He muttered a small apology, feeling that familiar sense that he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He was surprised and almost jumped from his seat when he felt Jack’s staff tap against his ankle, and when he looked up at the boy, Jack just tilted his head a little, offering him a small smile. Hiccup looked down and nudged the staff away from him.

“What did Pitch even do to you, Hiccup?” Rapunzel asked gently, not wanting to reach over Sandy to touch his shoulder, so she leaned forward a bit instead, trying to get him to look at her. He glanced over at her, then up at Jack and sighed, sitting upright again.

“Hiccup, you don’t have to.” Tooth said quickly, but Hiccup shook his head no.

“It’s fine. They deserve to know, anyway.” Hiccup said quickly, then cleared his throat and thought for a moment, beginning with, “He came to me, at Used-To-Be-Berk, and he started asking me weird questions. ‘Why were you chosen,’ he asked, ‘What makes you so special?’ I told him I didn’t know, but he kept pushing, so I told him he needed to be kept in line. I guess... I insulted him, because after that, he went into the town and killed everyone.”

Rapunzel and Merida both gasped audibly, their eyes widening and their jaws dropping. The Guardians, Jack included, seemed unaffected, but Hiccup did his best to avoid looking at their expressions. Merida felt a sudden pang of guilt, wanting to apologize, but when she opened her mouth, Hiccup continued to speak, resuming his story.

“After that, Toothless and I came here…” He continued to speak, starting from when he and Toothless landed in the snow not far from the workshop. The cold and snow grounded Hiccup, sharpening his concentration as they trudged through, spotting the simple wooden door for the workshop quickly. He knocked tentatively, his knuckles aching from the cold already, and when a Yeti opened the door, he took a quick step back.

“Oh… wow… okay, so… um, can I talk to… North?” He stammered. He had never met the man before. He only heard stories from Jack, and he was quite sure Jack never mentioned North being a large, animated, yellow-brown bush with a mustache. The Yeti squinted his eyes at him in thought, then said something indecipherable. Hiccup stared at him quietly, jaw hanging open dumbly, and when the Yeti prompted him again, he stammered out an anxious, “I-I’m… I can’t… What?”

The Yeti huffed, running a giant hand down its face, then held up a finger, indicating for Hiccup to wait a moment, before closing the door, his heavy footsteps heard walking away. Toothless growled curiously, nudging his nose against Hiccup’s arm.

“I know… I know, buddy, it’s… weird.” Hiccup sighed, scratching Toothless’ nose and keeping his eyes on the door. Minutes passed before the door swung open again, but instead of the Yeti there, a much taller, much bulkier, and much more intimidating beast stood there, looking down at Hiccup with sharp blue eyes. His chest seemed to puff up and Hiccup could feel his knees knock together, and just when Hiccup was about to turn tail and run, the man let out a loud guffaw.

“Welcome, little spirit! This is very nice surprise!” He clapped his large hand down on Hiccup’s shoulder, threatening to crush the boy beneath it, then he pulled him inside, Toothless following quickly. They walked at a fast pace, Hiccup nearly having to run to keep up with North’s long strides, and as they walked, North asked, “Your name is Hiccup, yes? I remember a little trouble a while back, the other Guardians were in a panic.”

“Oh, uh, y-you mean with me and-”

“So, what are you doing here, Hiccup? I do not think I would be the best one to plead your case to.” He chuckled deeply, making Hiccup frown and shake his head quickly.

“No, that’s not-”

“But between you and me,” North stopped walking and pulled Hiccup close, whispering with a smirk, “I have a bit of a soft spot for Jack. I think I could put in a good word.”

“That’s not what I’m here for!” Hiccup finally yelled, tired of going unheard. North’s brows rose, but he didn’t take it personally. In fact, he laughed instead, letting his head tilt back as he did so, standing up straight again.

“Why did you not say so? Come, we will sit. Tell me what it is you are here for.” He grabbed him by the shoulder again, leading him further into the workshop that really shouldn’t have been this large on the inside compared to the tiny entrance it had. When they reached the Globe Room, the fireplace was already lit and a table with two chairs waited for them. Hiccup was urged into a chair, and right when he sat down, he felt a sudden wave of exhaustion rush over him. His metal leg ached worse than before and his head throbbed behind his eyes. Toothless crooned at him, curling around the feet of the chair, watching the flames flicker in the fireplace. North sat down across from him, clapping his hands twice for two elves to scurry out of their hiding place, carrying trays with cups and cookies to the table, haphazardly tossing them on the table. The liquid sloshed around in the goblets and North quickly grabbed one and a cookie, taking a deep drink. Hiccup eyed the cup warily, taking it and looking into it.

“I thought we didn’t have to eat and drink?” Hiccup asked slowly, getting a snort from North.

“It is for… nostalgia.” He replied just as slowly, swirling the cup before biting the cookie, giving the boy across from him a sparkling smile, “Drink! Eat! Just pretend for a little!”

Hiccup couldn’t help but smile back, and he took a small sip from his cup. When he remembered what he was there for, though, he frowned and placed the cup back on the table.

“I need to tell you what happened…” He said softly, but North heard every word. He sat up straighter, leaning forward to hear Hiccup easier. Hiccup glanced up at him, then around at the workshop before saying, “I… I think the other G-Guardians should be here…”

“How about you leave that for me to decide?” North asked, narrowing his eyes and putting the goblet down. Hiccup swallowed anxiously, then nodded and rubbed his arms, trying to comfort himself. Toothless chirped at him, gently nipping his metal leg, hoping to help him.

“I…. I was at my home island, just… doing my job…” He cleared his throat, staring down at the table, “Then someone came and… I think… I think it was the B-boogeyman…”

North’s eyes widened considerably, sitting up straight and gripping the edge of the table, “Are you sure?”

Hiccup paused, thinking, then nodded, “It had to have been him.”

North got to his feet quickly, going straight to his panel and pulling a switch, twisting it, then shoving it back down. Suddenly, the room burst with lights, flowing out from the roof and windows, spreading across the sky despite the time of day. Hiccup watched with confusion and amazement, but he only only assume what was happening. He was calling the Guardians.

Barely a day went by before the first Guardian came in via a hole that seemed to appear out of nowhere. When he hopped out, he looked doubtful at first, but when he and North met eyes, Bunnymund’s ears folded back and he looked straight at Hiccup, not daring to speak until the others arrived. The next to come was Sandy, but almost right after he arrived came Tooth, and once she came in through the window, North rushed to close everything, every window, door, and even the fireplace. Hiccup watched, completely lost, but the other three Guardians seemed to understand, and they sat at the table, chattering softly.

When North resumed his place across from Hiccup, he looked at the boy anxiously and asked him to tell them what happened. His voice was even and his stare was calm, but the way he squeezed his hands together gave away how stressed he was, and the way the other three constantly glanced towards the windows and doors made Hiccup realize he was on a time crunch. He didn’t know what they were hoping to beat, but he sat up straighter and cleared his throat, feeling put on the spot and pressured, but he tried to keep it from affecting his memory.

“I was at my island, changing the leaves and bringing Autumn and… well… Toothless and I... we rested in a cave. That’s when… That’s when Pitch came out. He was saying weird things… Something about my center?” he briefly looked up at the four sitting in front of him, but their faces were stone and their eyes were burning into him. He felt his throat run dry and a bead of sweat trail down the back of his neck, but he was shivering nonetheless. Toothless had gotten to his feet and was growling deep in his throat, a normal response for when Hiccup became stressed.

“He was mocking me and saying things and so I… I fought back and he…” his voice petered off, squeezing his hands into fists and feeling as though the words he wanted to force from his throat were causing him physical pain. He heard a click of a tongue before a small, gentle hand rested on his shoulder, relaxing him enough to practically spit out, “He went into town and m-murdered _everyone_.”

The hand on his shoulder squeezed until it was painful, making Hiccup wince and tug away. He looked up at the four of them, their eyes wide and their jaws slack. Even Sandy looked horrified, and it often took a lot to rouse the small man from his happiness.

“What did he do next?” Tooth urged, her hand still hovering over Hiccup’s shoulder, as if prepared to clutch at him if he even tried to run away, fingers tense and nearly clawed.

“Yes, what _did_ he do?” A voice called out from behind them, sending a shock of ice running down hiccup’s back. All five of them snapped to look, their hearts stopping when they saw Jack standing there, a hand in his coat pocket and the other squeezing the staff tightly, his brows knitted together and his mouth in a scowl, “You know, North, I thought this whole ‘Guardian’ thing meant _I_ got to join in on your ‘Northern Lights emergency call.’” Jack sneered, taking a step forward, only to stumble back when both Tooth and Bunny filled the space between the two seasons with a single movement, Bunny’s paws on his boomerang and Tooth’s hand on Hiccup’s chest, prepared to shove him back if needed.

“This, if you can’t tell, is a special case.” Bunnymund growled, glaring daggers at the boy who only challenged his stare.

“How can I do my job if you won’t even let me in on this stuff?” Jack cried, exasperated, “I’m a Guardian! I deserve to be treated like one!”

“Guardian or not, you and him in the same room is dangerous, Jack!” North spoke up, standing slowly from his seat, as if Jack were some animal he didn’t want to scare away, “We have to keep the good of the world -the good of the _children_ \- in mind!”

“Then let me do my job!” Jack yelled, slapping his staff down on the ground in anger, a snowflake-like ice pattern bursting across the floor, forcing Hiccup and Bunnymund to shuffle backwards, away from the reaching tendrils, “I know it’s about Pitch. I can help! You just have to trust me --this was what I was chosen to do!”

When all he was met with was silence, his anger melted into pain, into abandonment, “ _Please_ ,” he nearly sobbed, “I was _meant_ for this…”

Hiccup felt his heart shatter. He knew what Jack was feeling, and if he were able, he would have pushed the Guardians away and thrown his arms around the broken boy. When he made a move to stand, though, he felt Tooth’s hand on his chest, keeping him in his chair. The attempt was not lost on the silver-haired sprite, though, and his eyes softened just a fraction, his muscles relaxing and the ice pattern on the floor curling back inwards.

And _that_ was when a deep chuckle resounded through the room, “Oh, North, you have one too many dark corners in your little workshop of yours.”

Blackness encased them all, swirling around the six of them and blinding them to their surroundings. Hiccup shot up to his feet, gasping, but Tooth’s hand on his chest still registered. She gripped his shirt tightly, pulling him in close, but even when he felt his chest press against her side, he saw nothing. The coiling darkness fluctuated, then spun inwards, like a cyclone, freeing them from their blindness and curling around the Boogeyman instead. He was perched atop the ever spinning globe, the sand arching above his head, completely at Pitch’s command. Toothiana clutched at Hiccup tighter, her other hand grabbing the back of his shirt as he was pressed tighter against her hip, but with a shriek, she was yanked away by a shadowed horse, her ankle painfully trapped between its jaws.

Bunny shot a boomerang at him, accompanied by one of Jack’s shots of ice, but the black sand slapped away the offending attacks, then, like a wave crashing on the rocks, it arched back down, slamming into Bunny and Jack and throwing them against the walls,battering them mercilessly until one was unconscious and twitching in fear and the other was gagging on the sand practically scratching its way down his throat. Hiccup stepped forward to fight, the wind coiling around him to back him up, but a rope clung to his waist and yanked him back, tossing him behind Sandy and North, the dream sand now a lasso in the golden man’s hand.

“Out of the way, you infuriating pests!” Pitch bellowed, calling upon the twisting, tense cyclone of sand that was ready to pounce at the moment it was beckoned, and it rushed forward, causing both Sandy and North to flinch. Before it crashed into them, however, it split through the middle, twisting around the two Guardians, then meeting together behind them and headed straight for the Autumn spirit, who was still on his back and attempting to crawl backwards out of the range of the sand.

“Hiccup!” Jack cried, almost blood-curtling, and he shot across the room with a ‘boom’. Hiccup wheezed in panic, wide eyes jumping to Jack, his name on his lips, but the sand got to him first, going straight through his chest. Hiccup’s body jolted, his back arching, and the last thing he could hear was Jack screaming. The last thing he felt was a hand grabbing his. The last thing he saw was a shock of blue and green, then darkness.

Jack had been blown back, the air around him freezing, then melting, then freezing again, as if it, too, was heaving in breaths. When his back hit the wooden floor, he gasped painfully, eyes wide and hand burning. He heard Tooth shriek for him, and he stood in a daze, the room spinning wildly but his feet oddly stable.

“It’s time to rest, Little Jack….” He could hear Pitch practically whisper into his ear, though he could still see him perched atop the globe. The dream sand seemed to cocoon him, letting him fall back in its void, smothering him until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his limbs lost all function. When he fell to the floor a second time, his staff bouncing away from him in a clatter, Pitch couldn’t help but laugh.

“You Guardians are just so predictable!” He hissed out and, with a wave of his arm, his sand wrapped around him like a ball. He spat out a final, “So predictable!” before he sunk into the shadows, gone.

He was gone.

And so were two of the seasons, mentally.

Merida and Rapunzel were shocked into silence, barely even breathing, though they technically wouldn’t need to. Hiccup stared down at his lap, eyes closed and nerves focused on the way Jack’s staff ran up and down his calf, trying to reassure him. He felt Tooth’s hand on his shoulder, a kind gesture, but Hiccup just smiled in return and shook his head.

“But that doesn’t have anything to do with why we’re here now.” He conceded, defaulting to agreeing with the others. Jack’s staff stalled, only for a moment, then resumed its stroking, discreet and unseen by anyone else. Merida glanced between them all, then eagerly leaned forward and, after licking her lips briefly, cleared her throat.

“If we’re still on the topic of ‘things that may or may not have to do with anything today’, will you tell us what happened between…. you and Jack?”

It was as if it were a switch she flicked in the way that almost everyone shot her a look, practically screaming at her to keep her mouth shut. North huffed, mostly to himself, Rapunzel frowned in confusion, and Hiccup kept his head down, refusing to answer her question. Merida sunk back into her seat, dejected and slightly embarrassed with the response she was given.

“No matter what the reason is, we need to fix your patterns now.” North said, regaining control over the conversation, “The main point is, you are bouncing around much too quickly. The seasons have grown too short, changing almost every two months!”

“Then we’ll stop.” Rapunzel said softly, brows furrowed. She only frowned further when Bunny let out a sarcastic laugh.

“What, like flyboy and that show pony stopped trying to see each other? That ain’t gunna happen, mate.” He leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table, “None of you have even the slightest idea of self restraint! How d’you expect us to leave you responsible for this mess?”

“Don’t mock her.” Merida muttered dangerously, glaring at the oversized rabbit, and he happily glared back.

“How do you expect us to stop, then?” Hiccup asked slowly, glancing up at Bunny with a confused frown, “You can’t watch us every day, especially not Toothiana and the Sandman. Being responsible for us would leave you without a job.”

“Which is why we will not _have_ to watch you!” North said with a smile, digging through his coat and producing a map of the world, slapping it down on the table and, with the help of Sandy and Bunnymund, laid the parcel flat, placing eggs and sand sculpture paperweights on the corners. On the map was a fluctuating white line, connecting all the continents and hitting almost every major section in the countries. Hiccup and Rapunzel leaned forward, interested, while Jack and Merida simply looked to North for explaining.

“We plotted out a path for you all to follow!” North said with a hint of pride in his voice, tracing his finger along part of the line, “It will let you bring your season to about… eighty percent of the world.”

“Eighty percent?” Hiccup echoed, squinting his eyes at the map and studying it, letting his own fingers run along the ink.

“This path doesn’t reach the arctics, so you won’t be able to go north or south.” Tooth explained, barely looking at the map, “We thought it would be a waste of time for you to try to go up or down, seeing as it’s just snow and ice.”

Jack looked dejected -pained, even-, but he kept his mouth shut. Cutting out Jack’s winter wonderland was like tearing out his insides, but he knew he would have to deal with it. It was what a Guardian did.

“You will never stop in one place for too long to keep the flow smooth.” North continued, looking at their faces only to see those of sadness and worry, “But I included your… original homes to be part of this path.”

They all glanced up at him, appreciative, but that meant no more nights lying in caves or evenings spent at the Fire Falls. No more painting on walls or having extended snowball fights with the kids in Burgess. They all glared down at the map, equal parts of hatred and regret and pain filling their faces.

“And you expect us to just follow this path with no complaint?” Merida finally asked, getting silent stares all around the table only to challenge them with her own glare. Jack averted his eyes; he knew what was coming. Hiccup felt the staff shy away from his ankle, and he became worried. Suddenly, he really didn’t want to be here anymore. He heard Toothless chirp behind him, knowing his dragon was picking up on his anxiety.

North seemed to consider this question, tapping his fingers on the wooden table and clenching his jaw a few times. Tooth looked up at him, catching his eye and giving him a short nod. He sighed through his nose, then relented, clapping his hands twice. A door popped open and in walked a Yeti, carrying a burlap sack that rattled with each booming step he took. When he got to the table, he grunted at his boss and dumped the sack out, throwing shackle after metal shackle in front of them. A shocked and disgusted gasp resounded through the three seasons, Rapunzel and Hiccup immediately standing and taking about five steps backwards, only for a lasso of sand to loop around their midsections. Merida’s hands jumped to her mouth, but she stayed seated, eyes frozen on the cuffs.

“Chains?!” Rapunzel yelped, panic flooding her systems until she couldn’t even stand. She fell to her knees, much to Merida’s surprise. She tried to go to Rapunzel, but right when she took a step, a sand lasso grabbed her by the ankle, tugging her back and making her fall onto her side. She yelped, then tried kicking the sand away, but it only grabbed her by her waist and pulled her back into her seat. She struggled more, but the sand cocooned her, restraining her completely.  
“This isn’t fair!” She decided to yell, still trying to struggle, but the sand only grew tighter.

“It is what we must do.” North said with a sigh, glaring down at the shackles with as much detest as the seasons had. Rapunzel began to cry, and now Hiccup tried to step towards her, feeling the sand around his waist tighten. He glared at Sandy, but the golden man didn’t slacken the lasso.

“We’re supposed to be free!” Merida shouted next, close to tears herself. Hiccup begun to panic, along with Rapunzel and Merida. He looked at Jack, who quickly averted his eyes, silently giving up and _showing_ him that. This wasn’t what they were meant for. This wasn’t what they had been promised. He didn’t give up his family or his life in Berk to be chained to a path he didn’t even choose.

Blood started pounding through his ears, his breath quickening. He looked to Merida, squirming in the cocoon of golden sand and yelling, only to have her mouth smothered. Rapunzel continued to sob, the lasso around her waist still there, in case she tried to run. Sandy just sat in his chair with the most serene look on his face, sipping his drink as he kept the three seasons tied.

“Toothless.” Hiccup finally wheezed, tugging against the lasso a bit more, only to feel it tighten, “Toothless!”

The dragon leapt into action, roaring in warning and flaring out his wings, catching everyone’s attention immediately before he shot a harmless blast to the table, severing the sand from the three of them. Merida’s cocoon fell away from her, and she shot to her feet, heading straight for Rapunzel who stayed on the floor, crying. Hiccup fell back onto his dragon, barely even getting his mechanical foot in the saddle before Toothless was shooting up towards the window. He heard a shriek as they escaped, looking over his shoulder to see the sand grab at Merida again, right before she could reach her Spring. As she was dragged back to her seat somewhat violently, the view was suddenly blocked by a shock of white hair.

“Jack! Wait!” Tooth yelled, kneeling down by Rapunzel when she noticed him shoot for the same window Hiccup escaped out of.

“I’ll get him!” Jack replied in a shout, bolting out and giving chase. Bunny cursed to himself, about to tap the ground for a hole so he could catch them, but North settled a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

“Stop, Bunny. Let him do this.” He ordered, giving the two boys enough time to fly out of reach and far out of their sights.

“What?! Are you crazy?!” Bunny cried, exasperated, “We separated them for a _reason_ , North!”

“We need to show we can trust Jack! He is a Guardian!” North said strictly, keeping his hand on the rabbit and squeezing a bit, in case he tried to go anyway, “I believe he can do this! Anyways… Jack might be the only person the little spirit will listen to.”

“North…” Tooth whispered, squeezing Rapunzel’s shoulders and soothing her to a whimper. She and North locked eyes and she gave him a pleading look, worried about the four of them, “Please, just… keep an eye on them. While we take care of these two…”

“I’m not babysitting!” Bunnymund quickly denied, but a sharp look from Tooth made his ears fold back and his nose twitch nervously. North sighed to himself, then nodded quietly, letting go of Bunny and digging through his coat pockets for a snow globe.

“But I will not get between what needs to happen!” He clarified, but Tooth smiled at him anyway, whispering a soft, “Thank you.”

In the sky, Hiccup, Toothless, and Jack had all flown a great distance, Toothless tirelessly beating his wings. He and Hiccup knew they were being trailed, and quickly. They arched through the air, spun up and dropped down and hid in the clouds, but no matter what, Jack seemed stuck to them, never losing sight of them.

“Hiccup! Wait!” He cried, but Hiccup didn’t slow. Instead, he swung an arm behind him, casting a sharp cut of wind to slow the ice spirit, but with an easy slash of his staff, the wind broke apart for him, carving him a path to zip through.

“Leave me alone!” Hiccup yelled over his shoulder, unsure if Jack would be able to hear him or not, but he really didn’t care, “I’m not doing it!”

“Just talk to me!” Jack pleaded, catching up to the boy for a second before Toothless smacked him away with his foot. Jack clung to his staff, catching himself before he fell too far down, then bolted back up. He caught up to them from below, able to sneak up on the two of them as they tried to turn. Jack reached out a hand, aiming for Hiccup’s sleeve, and when he felt the cloth slip through his fingers, he quickly clutched. Instead of grabbing cloth, though, his hand slipped from the cotton and instead gripped onto the boy’s wrist.

A shock of green and blue electrified the air, much like a multicoloured lightning bolt, and it struck the three of them. The two seasons let out a cry of pain, Jack blown one way and Hiccup the other, as if some force had grabbed them by the backs of their shirts and sped off with them. Toothless let out a shriek of his own, suddenly flightless, and he began to plummet, wings pumping hard and claws scratching at air, trying to find purchase to keep himself from smashing into the water, but there was nothing to catch him. Jack was thrown into the trees on the island they had found themselves over, nearly losing his staff as he smashed through branches and leaves, crashing into the ground with such force that he bounced, knocking out the air from his lungs and sending him spinning, then he landed upon his second, lighter impact, skidding on his back for a few more feet before finally coming to a stop, eyes wide and body throbbing in pain.

Hiccup, on the other hand, was shot like a cannonball into the water, his voice smothered and his body stinging on every nerve from the harsh collision, and he found himself at least twenty feet below. His muscles ached violently when he tried to swim back up, so much, in fact, that he found going limp and choking on the water was much more pleasant. As the air in his lungs bubbled to the ocean surface, he began to sink, his metal leg proving to be a handicap once again. Luckily for Hiccup, he didn’t need to be riding Toothless for the beast to swim, and swim he did. When Toothless had Hiccup’s shirt between his jaws and breached the surface with him, the boy gasped, choked, then coughed out the water in his lungs, his muscles still refusing to work, even in his neck. Toothless, when he realized his partner was currently incapacitated, kept his head tilted back, keeping Hiccup’s nose and lips above the water most of the time, and he slowly doggy paddled them towards the shore, breathing hard through his flaring nostrils. When they neared to shore, the waves helped push them closer, only to draw them back teasingly. Toothless had to give an extra kick, using his wings to steady them as they finally dragged themselves onto the sand, the water playfully lapping at their ankles.

Hiccup groaned in pain, forcing his arms to drag himself further away from the water and onto his feet, Toothless close behind him despite his own aching limbs. The rider stroked Toothless’ nose gratefully, still too out of breath to form anything coherent.

Jack had dragged himself to his feet and was rushing towards the shore at this point, ignoring the screaming agony through his own body. When he saw the rider relatively unharmed, he leapt down and onto the sand, wheezing out a worried, “Hiccup!”

Brown eyes shot up to Jack, and Hiccup began stumbling backwards, rasping out, “No! Leave me alone! Just go away!”

“Hiccup, just listen to me!”

“Why should I?!” He fought back, still trying to back away, but his vision was blurry and his balance made it seem like he was walking on a tightrope. Toothless stood between the two boys, tail curled protectively around Hiccup’s back in case he fell and teeth glinting at Jack, but the ice spirit still moved closer.

“Why do you hate me?” Jack cried, the sight of his old friend stumbling away and hearing him demand to be left alone proving to be too much this time around, “What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?”

“Hate you?!” Hiccup laughed hysterically, “ _You_ hate _me_!”

“I do not!” Jack refused, having to lean on his staff for a little bit to sooth his cramping legs, but he still pursued the boy, “Why would you think I did?!”

“Because you left!” Hiccup yelled, and with that, his legs gave out from under him and he collapsed to his knees, panting hard and shaking all over, much like Jack was, his next words practically a sob, “They t-told you to leave a-and you did!”

Jack stopped pursuing, the distance between them the same as when they had started. He leaned heavily on his staff, then slowly slid down to his own knees, eyes stuck on the boy in front of him as he wheezed and shook and dripped with water and what Jack couldn’t bring himself to believe to be tears.

“I didn’t leave,” he panted, still clinging to his staff as if it was the last thing that kept him awake, “I didn’t leave…”

“You did!”

“No, no, don’t believe that! Don’t believe that…. I-” he coughed hard, wheezed briefly, then whimpered out, “I f-fought. I fought for you, before everything, before _Pitch_!”

Hiccup looked up at Jack, their eye contact holding, then wept, “Then fight _now_ …  with me… Please…”

Jack truly considered it, but his answer was definite. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, staccato breaths escaping his lungs as if Hiccup’s words were physical punches to his gut.

“I can’t…”

“Why?! What makes it different?! What makes you a Guardian now?!”

“The children! Hiccup!” Jack yelled back, shooting a glare at the boy, “I have to keep them safe! I have to keep them happy! And so do you. It’s why we were made --it’s our _purpose_.”

Hiccup bit his lip, but his gaze didn’t waver. He knew it was true, he knew the children were what they strived to keep safe --the Guardians most of all. He felt the fight leave his body, replaced with the dull ache of his collision and the sense of loneliness in his bones.

He slowly brought his arms around himself, squeezing them with his hands, still dripping from the water. He could feel the sand on his sleeves, in his hair, even in his mouth when he clenched his jaw.

“We could be happy,” Jack called out to him gently, slowly scooting forward on his knees, the sand scraping along his legs, “together, if we ran away, Hiccup. But we would never stop running. They would never leave us alone. Not now, not a millennia in the future, but we could do it. But if we go back… If we carry out the plan, we might not be together. We might not be happy. But we’ll be right. The kids will be fine.”

“So we have to give up…?” Hiccup whispered, but his words were not lost on the boy, still inching towards the brunet, “All of this… for nothing?”

Jack swallowed thickly, then shook his head and replied with a gentle, “No. Not for nothing.”

“Then for what? A day trip to the beach?” Hiccup snapped, glaring down at the sand hatefully. Jack smiled a little, now right in front of Toothless, who was more concerned for Hiccup than he was about Jack, and was trying to comfort the boy with his nose, pressing it against his knee. Hiccup and Jack met eyes, and Jack smiled sideways at the boy, resting the staff horizontally against his own knees.

“There’s my dragon rider…” He whispered, almost lovingly, and he got a bashful response. Hiccup’s eyes quickly darted down and his teeth worried his lower lip, trying to think of something to say in response, but coming up with nothing worthwhile.

“Then for what?” He decided to ask again, keeping his sarcasm on hold in hopes to prompt Jack to answer. The blue eyed boy thought for a moment, eyes lowered and lips pursed slightly, then he tilted his head and shrugged, offering Hiccup another half smile.

“For us to be alone?” Jack suggested, moving even closer, thankful when Toothless moved his head out of the way. He knew Toothless reacted mostly to Hiccup’s emotions, and seeing him concede meant Hiccup was relaxed. Their knees were almost touching now, the staff still balanced on Jack’s legs and Toothless’ head now pressed against the rider’s hip, purring softly and closing his eyes. “For us to work this out?”

Hiccup kept his eyes down, not wanting to look Jack in the face as he considered these possibilities, “Then what? Go back?”

“We don’t have to,” Jack said with a shrug, “We can stay here for a while. Get our strength back.”

“And then-”

“Hiccup. Don’t worry about then. Whatever happens, happens. Why don’t we just… focus on now. On each other.”

Hiccup glanced up at that, eyes accusing and lips curling upwards only slightly, but it was still there. Jack smirked back, then lifted his hand, waiting for Hiccup to glance at it before he slowly placed it on Hiccup’s leg, both of them letting out a short breath when his fingers touched the cloth. The moisture in his pant leg turned to ice, creating decorative patterns through the thread. They both watched the ice grow for a minute, then Hiccup moved his own hand over Jack’s, not touching him at all, but hovering above it, feeling the waves of cold roll off his skin like heat would from a human.

Jack leaned forward a little, immediately getting Hiccup’s attention as he leaned back, but a small, reassuring smile from Jack made him stop and stay still, letting Jack move closer, their proximity now breaching intimate as Jack blew icy air against Hiccup’s ear, watching with a smirk as freckled cheeks pinked, a shudder running down Hiccup’s spine, then up again.

“Jack…” Hiccup couldn’t help but whisper, eyes closing and brows knitting together, “Please, don’t…”

“Why not?” Jack asked softly, pulling away from him only to do the same to Hiccup’s other ear, making him shiver all over again, eyes flickering behind his eyelids.

“What if you’re lying?” Hiccup answered, opening his eyes to look at him, though he could only really look at the side of his face, “What if you didn’t fight?”

Jack smiled a little, pulling back so Hiccup could see it for himself. He tugged his sleeves down, over his hands, then grabbed Hiccups hands and rubbed the cloth against his palms, soothing circles into his skin, “Believe in me.”

“Jack-” Hiccup began, only to be interrupted when Jack leaned in again, blowing a jet of icy air against Hiccup’s lips, making the boy gasp shakily and his shoulders stiffen. His breath was deliciously crisp, like peppermint and snow. Jack smiled wide when Hiccup let out a stuttering breath in response, his cheeks a bright red and his eyes sliding shut once again. Hiccup, to Jack, smelled like pumpkins and what leaves crunching under one’s foot sounded like, satisfactory and addicting. He let go of Hiccup’s hands, urging the boy to look at him again, then suck in a sharp breath when he saw Jack pulling his hood on, a wicked grin on his face.

“No! No, you put that hood back down, Jack!” Hiccup demanded immediately, face almost as red as the leaves themselves, but Jack didn’t listen to him. He grabbed Hiccup’s arms by the sleeves and pulled them to his head, Hiccup’s fingers immediately latching onto the cloth and digging in. He held on even as Jack grabbed him by his legs and pulled him onto his lap, skin never touching skin, but the drag of cloth on cloth was almost as electrifying to them, Hiccup vehemently shaking his head, but never letting go.

“Just let me hold you!” Jack laughed out, wrapping his arms carefully around Hiccup’s waist, pressing his chest against Hiccup’s. Their noses were almost touching, but they both leaned back enough so they wouldn’t, and even as Hiccup glared daggers at Jack, they both knew he really didn’t want to be let go. Jack even made a point to it, his grip barely there, and whenever Hiccup shifted his hips, he could feel his hands slide loosely.

Toothless was the only one to really complain at this point, unable to really nuzzle against Hiccup’s side anymore, but he didn’t throw a fit. He was much too accustomed to these two grabbing at each other like this, and he knew it would be best for him to look away and plop his head down on the sand, keeping watch instead of watching.

“Are you still hurting?” Jack asked, running his hands up and down Hiccup’s thighs, rubbing circles with his thumbs deep into Hiccup’s muscles. The brunet shook his head just slightly, watching Jack’s hands in content, then asked in a whisper, “Are you?”

Jack smiled and shook his head, “But I’m going to be sore for at least a year.” He whined softly, rousing a small laugh from the boy on him.

“Then maybe I should get off of you.” Hiccup suggested, but he didn’t move. Instead, he gripped Jack’s hoodie tighter, silently daring Jack to agree with him.

Jack hummed in thought, sliding his hands up Hiccup’s hips, then to his waist before gripping him tightly, “I think I can handle it.” He pulled Hiccup closer, his chest flush with Hiccup’s. They were able to feel each other breathe, their hearts pounding in unison, then Jack rolled his hips up, testing to see if Hiccup would let him. The boy gasped, clutching his hood tighter, then glared down at him.

“What? I thought you were a dragon rider!” Jack teased, but he didn’t move his hips again. Hiccup, on the other hand, snorted at his accusation, rolling his eyes in an exaggerated motion.

“Emphasis on ‘ _dragon_ ’!” He hissed out, “Besides, isn’t it a bit too… sudden?”

Jack shrugged a little, sliding his hands further up Hiccup’s body, now resting underneath the vest, on his back, “I just figured… last day on Earth-”

“We’re not _dying_.”

“-might as well be spent with the one you love.”

Hiccup stared down at him, face uncomfortably blank, then he muttered with a monotone voice, “You are so cheesy. So, _so_ cheesy.”

“And you’re hot. Y’know how well those go together.” Jack winked at him, earning another snorting laugh from the brunet. Hiccup pulled Jack’s hoodie down further, resting his forehead against his, their eyes still locked and their bodies still close.

“I’m supposed to be mad at you…” Hiccup whispered, curling his fingers tighter into the cloth of his hood, “You and your stupid face.”

“That insult should go in the books.” Jack stated frankly, prompting a swift punch to the shoulder in reply. Jack flinched, but smiled anyways, and Hiccup’s offending hand rested on his shoulder, the other still gripping his hood. They stayed like that for a while, staring at each other and trying to figure out what to do next, what to say next, but neither of them thought of anything.

Then Hiccup lifted himself, only a little, but Jack’s hold on his body immediately relented. Hiccup smiled at this, then settled back down in Jack’s lap, snapping his hips forward a bit to make the boy hiss in pleasure.

“Hiccup?” Jack asked immediately after, looking up at him to make sure he was okay with it, to make sure he wasn’t just teasing him. The dragon rider smiled in response, placing both hands on Jack’s shoulders and rolling his hips again.

“L-last day on Earth, right?” He gasped out, squeezing Jack’s shoulders and slowly starting up a tempo. Their breaths mingled, Jack’s hands sliding down to Hiccup’s waist again, squeezing.

“You don’t have to. I was joking about that…”

“I want to.” Hiccup paused his movements, looking down at his partner, “I mean… we have to go back, anyways. It wasn’t really a choice to begin with --running away or going back. So I might as well use my last few hours of free will.”

Jack sighed, feeling guilty about the entire thing, but he knew they could do nothing about it. He wanted this just as much as Hiccup seemed to, so he rolled his hips up again, prompting Hiccup to resume moving. They rocked together, their hands gripping tighter and their breaths coming faster between them, and soon they were moaning for each other, their mouths open and aching to press together, but they hovered just out of reach, noises mingling with their breaths.

“If…” Jack muttered between groans, snapping his hips up particularly hard, making Hiccup shudder in delight and give a pleased whine, “If you were with Merida instead… Would you be doing this to her?”

“Don’t, Jack…” Hiccup whimpered, rocking his hips down harder, trying to increase the friction between them, “Don’t ask me that…”

“Why not? It’s just a question…” he paused their movements to lift Hiccup, laying him in the sand on his back and kneeling over him, their hips still pressed together, but now that Jack had control over their movements, he was able to set a faster pace. Hiccup’s hands went to Jack’s thighs beneath his own legs, squeezing them tightly.

“Don’t bring her into this…” Hiccup whined out, rolling his hips deliciously, making Jack ache at the thought of never being able to actually touch him. He stayed silent, grinding against his partner faster, harder, not stopping until Hiccup was begging, nails digging into his pants and Jack’s hands pressed against the sand next to Hiccup’s waist. Jack wanted to stop, suddenly, wanted to wait until Hiccup was forced to tell him an answer for him to resume. He considered it briefly, but as he looked over the blissful face his dragon rider wore, observed how he ran his tongue along his upper lip as if trying to fill in Jack’s role, how he tilted his head back and closed his eyes when the pleasure rippling through him was becoming too overwhelming, jaw slackening and back arching, begging to be touched, to be kissed, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop. Soon, Jack couldn’t help but fulfill Hiccup’s unasked request, lips pressing right at the center of his chest.

Jack could feel his arms quiver, his mind cloud over with lust, hints of jealousy scattered through haphazardly, but sparse enough to bring Jack close with Hiccup. They both gasped at once, Jack’s hips jolting when his pleasure washed over him, escaping through practically every pore on his skin so quickly it made his muscles twitch. Hiccup whined softly, panting hard and still trembling with need, giving a grateful grunt when Jack pressed a hand down on him. With quick strokes and a deeply pressed thumb rubbing up and down, Hiccup slipped into his own euphoria, eyes closed tight and legs trembling, the stain of his enjoyment prominent, even in his dark pants.

“Tell me.” Jack panted out, making Hiccup frown and sigh deeply. He ran his fingers through his hair, sandy from the beach, then looked out to the water, reflecting the setting sun.

“Yes. If she let me, yes.” Hiccup answered, knowing well it wasn’t what Jack wanted to hear. Still, he needed to know.

Jack glared at nothing in particular, one more question at the tip of his tongue, but he was afraid to ask it. A minute passed before he could bring up the courage, and when he took in a breath, Hiccup’s eyes went to him, making him even more nervous, “If you could choose who you could touch… who would you choose?”

Hiccup stared at him for a long while, then propped himself up on his elbows, frowning, “That’s not fair.”

“Just answer me.”

“ _That’s not fair_!”

“Hiccup!” Jack growled, locking eyes with him and glaring, “Tell me. I need to know.” he said slowly, enunciating every word. Hiccup narrowed his eyes at him, then pushed himself up, walking away from Jack and towards the water. When he was waist deep, Toothless waiting for him at the shore, Jack quickly flew over, hovering above the ocean while tugging his jacket down, covering his own evidence. Hiccup looked away from him anyway, sinking into the water so only his shoulders and above were visible, then he sighed and stared down at the reflective surface.

“I don’t know.” He answered quietly, noticing the water immediately beneath Jack was beginning to freeze.

Jack stared down at him quietly, and when the water created a thick enough platform for him, Jack stood atop the ice, not letting it float away. He crouched down, still looking at his friend, hoping he showed any sign of preference towards him, but he saw none. Toothless chirped from the beach, briefly getting his rider’s attention.

“We should go.” Hiccup stated, only to make Jack hum neutrally. The ice spirit jumped from his platform and into the water, soaking himself generously before he climbed back up, running his staff up and down himself to freeze the water before shaking it off, ultimately drying himself and cleaning his clothes.

Hiccup hurried back to Toothless, his walk slow from the push and pull of the waves, but when he got on his dragon, they bolted into the air, Jack right behind them.

Back at the workshop, the remaining three Guardians waited anxiously. Rapunzel had been soothed by Tooth enough that she stopped crying, but now she just sat at the table, staring blankly at the shackles in front of her. The dream sand lasso was still hanging around her hips, but it was loose and thin, most of Sandy’s attention being focused on keeping Merida to her seat. Her cocoon hadn’t regrown from Hiccup’s escape, but her feet and waist were tightly clamped down, and even the slightest twitch would make them hold on tighter. Her fight has escaped her by now, though, and she just stared at Rapunzel, trying to read her, but failing.

“Punzie…” she whispered, and luckily she was left ungagged at the action, “Look at me, please…”

Rapunzel didn’t respond at first, barely even acknowledging the girl beside her, but after a minute of what must have been deliberation, she slowly raise her head, eyes sliding up to Merida, devoid of emotion. Merida thought she felt Rapunzel’s pain for her, but looking at her best friend, the very girl she was sure she loved, look so unlike herself was torture enough.

“It’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.” she tried to reassure her, pointedly ignoring the shackles strewn across the table in front of her, “We’ll get away. We won’t do it.”

“But we have to.” Rapunzel said, hoarsely, as though she hadn’t spoken in all her life until this point, “It’s what we’re meant for.”

Merida stared at her, eyes widen and heart aching. She couldn’t believe her own ears. She whimpered, “No, we were meant to be free. We were meant to be able to choose.”

Rapunzel looked down at the shackles again, then nearly sobbed out, “It’s to p-protect us. To k-keep us safe.”

“Rapunzel, _no_ …” Merida begged her to stop, unable to stomach the words that couldn’t have been hers, that must have never been rolling in her mind, “Please, no…”

Rapunzel begun to cry again, but they were silent, almost unnoticed tears. Her voice was empty when she whispered, “I should have stayed with mother…”

The room was silent after that, Tooth standing on her delicate feet, staring hopefully at the window, Bunny sitting at the table, ears folded back and eyes stuck to the shackles, Sandy oddly morose, finding comfort in his ever changing sand sculptures, and the two seasons chained to their spots, physically and emotionally.

“We have to accept responsibility for what we did.” Rapunzel whispered, eyes flickering up to Merida’s, practically boring into her, “We _have_ to.”

Merida swallowed hard, then looked down at the chains, feeling her being freeze over with fear. She looked back up at Rapunzel. Emotionless, _terrified_ Rapunzel, understanding how much pain she must be in to be chained once again, but this time willingly. Understanding how alone they’ll be, knowing how far or how close they’ll be to one another, but never being able to reach them.

She bowed her head and closed her eyes, her hands shaking and her teeth chattering, then she sucked in a deep breath and looked back up to Rapunzel, swallowing down her fears and recollecting herself, sitting up straight and determined, just like a princess should,

“It is our responsibility.” She restated from Rapunzel, challenging her empty gaze with one of fire, “And I’ll stand beside you the entire way through. You will never be alone, Rapunzel, I promise you that.”

Her fire spread contagiously through the blonde girl and soon her eyes regained her colour, his cheeks brightening and her back straightening. Her eyes twinkled in respect, in awe, then filled with tears once more, accompanied by a smiling sob.

“You’re terrified.” Rapunzel noted through whimpers, still smiling appreciatively.

“And so are you.” Merida replied, pursing her lips, “Let’s be scared together.”

Rapunzel couldn’t help but laugh at that, and she wiped her tears away with the backs of her hands, “Alright…. Merida.”

Merida smiled at her, and Rapunzel smiled back, but their attention was stolen when Toothless stumbled in through the window, landing heavily on the floor with a thud. Hiccup slid off his dragon’s back, hair blown in crazy directions, but he ignored it. Jack landed soon after them, the both of them still looking haggard, but determined.

“Where’s North?” Tooth asked immediately, relieved at seeing the two, but worried now for her companion. Hiccup and Jack glanced at each other, both of them paling as if guilty, then Hiccup stammered, “He was… He was watching us?”

“He was supposed to be.” Bunny replied with a growl, getting to his feet, “I bet you anything he’s still here.”

“A ha!” They heard a joyous cry as the door behind them swung open, Bunny rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

“Told you so.”

“Everyone is now back! My plan has worked, then!” North announced with pride, making Bunny splutter in denial and glare at him.

“Plan?! What plan?!”

“Stress relief, of course!” North said with a chuckle, shrugging his shoulders before he retook his seat at the table, gesturing for everyone else to join him, “Now, why don’t we all get back to the business at hand.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont worry things get happier from here on out please comment and kudo and stuff


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why do you think I’m Hiccup?” He pondered aloud, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he continued to walk, “I see what you see, Jack. I know what you want.” He gestured to himself, then chuckled darkly, “And I know what you know.” He ended with a sing-song voice, drawing closer to the ice spirit, only to make him shy away with disgust.

Pitch circled the small metal globe with a scowl on his face. His hands were clasped behind his back, digging his thumb nail into his palm until it stung. Somehow, the seasons fell back into line. He didn’t worry about it at first, it was normal for them to give up at some point, but he would think they would jump right back on the horse when it happened. Now, nearly half a century later, they were still following their paths.

He began to grind his teeth, glaring hatefully at the faintly glowing regions. Something _must_ have happened, something must have stopped them! Either that, or they just need an gentle nudge in the right direction…

Pitch took in a deep breath, standing straight and tearing his eyes away from the globe, trying to calm himself to think about it properly. He didn’t have time to wait. The longer it took him, the less likely they would bend to his will. Of course, he thought with a smirk, he already had his foot in the door. It would be risky, but it was a simple backup plan. Right now, though, he needed to try and fix this mess.

He snapped his fingers, a whinny echoing through the caves and the trot of hooves following soon after. He felt the nightmare’s muzzle press against his hand submissively, her nostrils flaring excitedly. Pitch clicked his tongue and cooed at the horse, bringing his other hand to her neck and stroking it gently, “Don’t worry, my sweet nightmare… Tonight you’ll be running all of that energy out.”

The horse snorted excitedly, tapping her hoof anxiously and flicking her tail. Pitch chuckled deeply, tangling his fingers in her mane, then tugging on it gently, “Now, I want you to take the others and find the seasons, but all I want you to do is nudge them a little. Understand?”

The nightmare stomped her hooves on the ground, twisting her head almost in a nod, and when Pitch let go of her, she reared back with a cry, kicking her hooves proudly, then spun around and took off through the darkness, beckoning her fellow nightmares to her side. Pitch laughed triumphantly, letting his head tilt back and the room fill with his voice. The horses galloped around the room, above him, then shot out through various tunnels, their sandy manes trailing behind them ominously.

Whatever it was that was holding them back wouldn’t be keeping them in one spot for long, and Pitch planned to watch the show unfold. He turned back to his globe, circling it ravenously, trying to guess which season would be the first to run, the first to give chase. His nightmares would be upon them soon, and all he could do was wait.

His plan would _not_ fail.

-_-_-_-_-

 

Night had fallen, finally. The wind whispering through the trees and the gentle chirping of nocturnal creatures began to fill the air. Merida never thought the day would come when she would grow to hate the setting sun, but watching it now filled her with jealousy and pain and the lust for sitting atop the Fire Falls for days on end, just watching. Her dislike towards the sun, however, was greatly trumped by her outright hatred for the moon, currently gazing down on her with what she only could imagine to be taunt. She glared back up at him, standing her ground so she could continue this stare-off. She could feel the heat in her feet, the throbbing in her muscles, she wanted to run so much, but she couldn’t because of the Man in the Moon.

“This is all your fault!” She shrieked, stomping her feet only to be met with the rustling of the chains at her ankles, “You promised me freedom! You told me I could choose what I wanted to do! How is any of this a choice?!”

The moon stared back in silence, apparently ashamed, but Merida wouldn’t accept it. She let the heat curl around her ankles, the grass beneath her feet shuddering in fear and the trees bending away slowly, but in a panic.

“You lied!” Merida shouted, clenching her hands into fists and feeling the ground beneath her crackle and burn, “You lied to all of us! You are no man in a moon! You’re a boy hiding in a rock!”

The moonlight fluctuated at that, waxing as if shocked at her words. The fire around her grew as her anger was fed, but with a silent yet powerful breath, the wind stopped, then swirled around her, catching her in a spontaneous whirlwind that suffocated the flames eating at the trees and grass, then grabbed the yelping girl and throwing her to the floor. She landed with a grunt, then heaved and huffed and she scrambled to her feet, tripping over the chains a few times before she found balance. She rushed to push the hair out of her face and look up, but she only saw clouds.

She let out a frustrated sigh, pressing a hand against one of the scorched trees to lean on as she caught her breath. The feel of crumbling wood beneath her fingertips shocked her, making her leap away from the offending touch. When she looked to the tree, her eyes widened and her head spun. She turned in a half-circle, realizing the damage was larger than what she had anticipated. The ground around her was scorched, probably never to grow grass again if the cracked rock beneath her feet was anything to go by. Had she done that, just because she was angry?

She looked towards the sky again, greeted only by clouds, and before she could really think about her actions, the chain at her ankles grew taught, tugging gently at her until she began to walk. Rapunzel must have made quite the distance between them, but she knew it wouldn’t really matter how near or far they were. They would never be able to see each other again, even if the other two seasons relented. There was just not enough chain.

She wished she could run, but the chain holding her ankles together wouldn’t let her take a long enough stride. She could barely take a large enough step to walk, making it a pain to get over rivers or creeks, but it was necessary. If she could run, she could probably pull the rest of them with her. Not that she was incredibly strong, of course. She was just incredibly determined.

Just as she was exiting the forest, she heard a distant whinny of a horse. She paused, knowing well enough that there shouldn’t be any horses around here, mostly not at night. The chain at her feet grew taught again, so she resumed walking, but another whinny reached her ears and she froze, looking around quickly. The chain tugged at her ankles, but she didn’t move, keeping her feet as far as they would go to keep from being tripped by the tugging chain. She heard hooves on the grass, circling her. Golden eyes peered from the distant shadows, calculating, watching.

“Who’s there?!” She yelled, scaring the golden gaze away, the hooves taking off at a great speed. She felt her shoulders relax when she didn’t hear any more noises, then resumed walking, eyes glancing around anxiously as she went.

It wasn’t but twenty feet further that she heard another whinny, but instead of the golden eyes, a shock of golden hair swept along the ground just in her vision. She gasped, frozen once more as she tried to determine who’s hair it was and what it was doing there. She gasped again when it moved, the sound of grass crunching under bare feet filling her ears and making her hopeful, so painfully hopeful, but she knew it just couldn’t be.

“Show yourself!” She shouted, taking a few more steps forward, then stumbling back when Rapunzel walked forward, golden hair trailing behind her and eyes stuck to the ground, a guilty look all over her face.

“Rapunzel…” Merida breathed out, eyes wide and heart hammering, but her mind was screaming at her to get away, that it wasn’t really her. Rapunzel didn’t look up at her name, but she smiled a little, still looking guilty.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” She whispered, and even her voice sounded a little off, “I just… really wanted to see you.”

Merida didn’t respond to that, looking over the Rapunzel before her with a critical eye, the first mistake popping out at her immediately.

“Where are your chains?” Merida asked with a rough voice, afraid to step forward, but proud enough to stand her ground. Rapunzel’s brows furrowed, but she still didn’t look up.

“Let’s not talk about that right now,” She said softly, carefully bringing her hair over her shoulder and running her fingers through it nervously, smiling against the golden strands, “Let’s talk about… us.”

“Us?” Merida echoed, watching her hands with wary eyes, unsure of what to make of this. Was she delusional? Perhaps the Man in the Moon was playing tricks on her in revenge. Or maybe she was dreaming, and Sanderson had enough heart to give her a good dream.

“All of this… chasing and running, doesn’t it make you tired? I am so tired, Merida. And I know Jack will never feel the same way about me as I do him…” She began to blush, then finally looked up at Merida, locking eyes with her and sending a shiver of fear down her spine. Instead of those bright, spring greens Rapunzel was lucky to carry, Merida was greeted with two soulless pits of black, practically voids, eating up all the light that filtered through the cloud above them, “And I realized, why chase him? He can’t save me like you can. He isn’t strong like you are. He’s just a boy. An immature prankster of a boy. He doesn’t deserve me.”

“Who are you?!” Merida spat out, hatred replacing her fear almost immediately. How dare she be teased with a clone, a mere doll of the person she adored. Her question was ignored, though, and the Rapunzel look-a-like began to pace around her, golden hair trailing behind her slowly.

“But _you_ … You’re the woman I need, Merida. Strong, willful, mature… And do I even need to mention vastly skilled? You’re talented, smart, beautiful-”

“Shut up! Stop it!” Merida begged, realizing her prideful yet shameful thoughts were being echoed to her in person, by the very being she couldn’t handle knowing of them.

“You deserve me much more than that _boy_ ever could.” She spat out the word like an insult, smile growing into a smirk, and in a blink of her eye, Rapunzel appeared in front of here, merely a foot away. Merida gasped and stumbled away, but Rapunzel merely pursued her, grabbing her arm to keep her from running away.

She pulled the redhead close to her, the blackness of her eyes boring into Merida’s mind, and she whispered teasingly, “So what are you waiting for? Come rescue me, come make me yours.”

“You’re not Rapunzel!” Merida shouted, tugging her arm away, but Rapunzel’s hand stuck to her, separating from her wrist with only a string of black sand connecting them. Merida let out a shriek and swatted at the limb until it fell away, black sand sticking to her clothes.

When Merida’s gaze swept back up to Rapunzel, Rapunzel was snarling in disgust, clutching at her wrist as if pained, then she glared at Merida and shouted, “I thought you wanted me! How could you hurt me, Merida?!”

“I-I do want you!” the redhead fought back, her heart aching with the knowledge that she would never get the chance to say those words to the real Rapunzel, “But you’re not Rapunzel! You’re just sand! Just black sa-”

Merida’s voice trailed off as she stared at the person in front of her, eyes wide and jaw slack, her words echoing in her head. Something about this was familiar, something about this was so painfully familiar, but she couldn’t wrap her head around it.

Rapunzel’s scowl fell, eyebrows pinching up in worry and black tears rolling down her cheeks, “Merida, you have to come for me. I need you, please. I need to be held by you.”

“Who are you?” Merida asked again in a whisper, mind still trying to piece together this blank puzzle. Rapunzel shook her head in confusion, the sand falling from her wrist slowly constructing a new hand for her, though the skin was grey and the fingers were jagged.

Then, in a mere second, it all seemed to click. Merida took quick steps back, the name hanging off her lips, but her voice refusing to work. All that could spin through her mind was _why_? What was the point in all of this?

“ _Pitch_ ,” She finally wheezed, making Rapunzel’s voids for eyes widen. Silence fell between the two of them, then Rapunzel frowned hatefully, skin fading to grey and hair to black, sinking back into her head until it was just to her shoulders.

“Merida, save me,” her voice was warped and her face twisted, her nose and mouth stretching grotesquely until it became a muzzle, her shoulders hunching and her body widening, “Make me yours.”

Merida fell away with a yelp, the sight in front of her making her heart race and her fingers search for a weapon of any sort, wishing she had a bow. When the beast was done transforming, all that was left was a horse, eyes glowing gold and nostrils flaring angrily. It roared at Merida, charging forward and smashing its hooves against the chains at her feet, causing the redhead to shout in surprise. When the chains came away unharmed, the horse kicked its back feet, then reared back and snorted in anger, reeling its front legs before slamming them down on the chains once more, only getting the same result.

Merida had her hands above her head, flinching whenever the horse came down on the chains, hoping it wouldn’t come down on _her_ next. With a final snort, the horse turned tail and ran away, bolting into the sky with a thin trail of black sand behind her. Merida was panting hard, watching as it galloped away, its nickering fading as the distance grew.

Slowly, Merida got to her feet, eyes roaming down to the chains at her feet. Had Hiccup been right all those years ago? If Pitch had sent one of his nightmares, then he definitely had something to do with this, right?

She shook her head violently, deciding to just walk forward. If Pitch had truly been involved, why would he wait so long to make a move? Right now, they were at their most vulnerable.

At the mention of vulnerability, she realized she really needed a weapon. Especially if Pitch had some plan up his sleeve. The only weapon she had been brought into this strange world with was her fire arrows, though, and the Guardians made her get rid of them. It was for a good cause, she knew that. If she had kept them, she wouldn’t have been able to keep from firing a few thoughtlessly due to boredom.

This development, however, changed everything. She needed protection. She knew where she left them, the only issue was getting there quick enough to give her time to search for them. With the chains limiting her, she would have to work quickly.

Luckily for her, her hiding spot was only a few months away. She began to speed-walk, hoping to catch up before Hiccup did.

-_-_-_-_-

 

The sun had been gone for a few hours now, and Rapunzel walked along in silence. The chains at her neck rattled with each step, hanging loosely so her hair rubbed against the back of her neck uncomfortably. She tried pulling it out from the collar before, but then it just got stuck to everything behind her, causing her to lose time and create a wider gap between her and Jack.

Not that she really wanted to see anyone in particular, anyway. These chains at her neck had dragged her mood down to a painful low, even further than she had been with her imposter mother. The moon blinked into view, the clouds slowly drifting away from its great light, as if bowing to a king. Rapunzel looked up at the pale orb, but that was all she did. Her feet continued forward as her eyes bore into the Moon, letting the light wash over her skin as if trying to comfort her, as if he were apologizing.

Rapunzel tore her gaze away from him, then, focusing on where she was being led to. Her loneliness was not cured with a visit from the Man in the Moon. In fact, seeing him merely starved her more.

She refused to sing. Ever since the chains were linked to her neck, she refused to raise her voice. In doing so, her Springs became almost empty. Animals were being birthed into a world of silence, the beauty of life unbeknownst to them. Plants grew, regardless of her voice, but they did not bloom quite as brilliantly. Their colours were faded, their leaves shrivelled, and their pollen was weak. Spring became not a song of new life and beauty, but a melancholy whimper of fear and uncertainty, the gift of life barely even a gift at all anymore.

Occasionally, she would hear the song of a bird flying above, and she would crave to join their song in harmony. Her entire being buzzed with the urge to sing, but she would swallow it down and forget it. What point was there to sing when all she had was sorrow to reflect?

A nicker came a distance away. Unsurprising, of course, horses loved to run in the open fields. At this time of night, though, she would have thought them asleep. Perhaps it spotted her, and was wary of her intentions.

She continued to walk, deciding it best to keep moving rather than stop to look around. However, barely a few feet further, and her chain tugged her to a halt. She choked a little, stumbling back a few steps and looking over her shoulder. The chain at her neck had grown taut, shaking lightly. Her brows furrowed and she moved to grab the chain, tugging at it to see if it was stuck. When nothing behind her moved, she could only assume Merida had fallen behind.

She looked ahead of her, seeing the chain connecting her and Jack was still comfortably loose. Deciding it best to sit and wait for Merida to catch up, Rapunzel took a few steps towards the redheaded season and sat upon the short grass, crossing her legs and letting her skirt bunch up in her lap, her bare feet sticking out from under the cloth.

The moon winked at her, the light running along the grass in curious patterns until they faded completely, the clouds blocking them out. She heard a whinny again, piquing her curiosity and making her glance around. She didn’t want to intimidate the horse, but she couldn’t really move forward until Merida caught up.

The weight of the collar made her shoulders slump, and she didn’t realize until now just how drained she felt. She carefully lowered her back to the ground, laying in the grass with her legs still crossed. She stared up at the clouds silently, arms stretched out to either side of her.

She sat up quickly when she heard hooves come close. She looked around, but saw nothing, yet this feeling of uneasiness filled her, making her want to stand and run, but the chain was still strained.

“Rapunzel?” She heard behind her, making her freeze up and her eyes widen. She didn’t even have to look to know it was Jack, though the familiar chill was absent from the air around them. She didn’t respond immediately, not entirely sure what to say or _how he was even there_.

“Rapunzel, I… I missed you. I wanted to come back and see you again, so… here I am.” A small laugh, and Rapunzel brought her hands to her ears. Jack couldn’t be here. It was impossible. She was hallucinating.

“Please stop.” She whispered to herself, hoping to will away the hallucination quickly. Silence followed, and for a moment, she thought she was successful. She slowly looked over her shoulder, then whimpered when she wasn’t greeted by Jack, but by a familiar brown haired, brown eyed man that simply smiled at her.

“Hi.” He said simply, voice deeper than before, but it was unmistakably him. He was still in the outfit she last saw him in, blood-stain and all.

“Eugene…” Rapunzel whimpered, guilt and pain and regret flooding into her being, “How…. How are you here?”

“I don’t know. And I don’t really want to know. All I care about is that I _am_ here. With you.” He stepped forward, kneeling in front of Rapunzel and smiling at her, cradling her cheek with his cold, cold hand. She flinched away from him, earning a frown.

“But…. You’re dead…” Rapunzel whispered, leaning away from him and no longer able to look him in the face.

“But you healed me, Rapunzel. Don’t you remember?” He asked, reaching for her again only to have his hand smacked away.

“It’s been too long, Eugene… You can’t be alive anymore.” The truth was painful, but nothing else made sense, “I’m just imagining you, aren’t I?”

“No, Rapunzel… I’m here. I’m right here, with you.” He said quickly, gripping her hand a bit tightly and pulling her to him, “I couldn’t live without you.”

Rapunzel couldn’t help but wince at that, tears flooding her eyes and running down her cheeks. Eugene pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around he.

“Rapunzel… My new dream…” He whispered soothingly, making her sob against his shoulder, “You have to come to me.”

“Wh-What?” Rapunzel hiccuped, pulling away from his shoulder too look up at him, only to startle away when her eyes locked with two black orbs. Eugene let her go, watching her curiously, as if he didn’t know. “Who are you?” She whispered next, heart pounding.

Eugene gave her a half smile, as if she were joking, then said, “I missed you, Rapunzel… But you have to come to me.”

“I…..” She shook her head silently, voice unable to work properly. What did he mean, come to him? He was right in front of her.

“I just want to be with you, Rapunzel.”

“You’re not Eugene…”

“Of course I am. Look at me, could anyone copy these looks?” He said with a winning smile that, if he had truly been himself, would have made Rapunzel giggle into her hands, but when it was this clone, it just sent a chill down her spine and made her curl away from him in fear.

“Who are you?” She asked again, getting to her feet quickly and stepping away, only to be stopped by the chain, still taut. Eugene frowned when he saw this, rising to his own feet and looking down at the chain, touching it curiously.

Black eyes met green and Rapunzel swallowed hard, unable to make any sense of what was in front of her. Slowly, Eugene started walking towards her, a look of confusion on his face. His features began to warp, making Rapunzel cringe and feel rather ill. His face stretched, then shrunk, then he became a bit shorter and his hair became straighter, fading into white. His skin paled and his features became more boyish, but his eyes were still two colourless holes in his skull. His clothes changed as well, and soon the man standing before her was Jack.

“You have to come to me, my dream.” He said, his voice jumping from Eugene to Jack, then back again, obviously confused as to what matched with who.

Rapunzel tried running away, but the chain kept her rooted. Panic began to flood her systems, and she gripped the chain with both hands and tugged, hoping to coax Merida into moving again, but it didn’t budge. Jack began to walk towards her, holding out a hand to touch her.

“Don’t! Don’t touch me!” She yelled quickly, throwing her arms in front of her to shove him away, but instead the ground before her burst apart, a thick trunk springing from the dirt and separating the two, its branches curling towards Rapunzel protectively, bending down until the leaves were touching the ground. The roots of the tree even curled out of the ground, the creaking of wood filling the air as it continued to bend around her, stopping only when the trunk was a crescent and the branches and roots created a thick dome around her.

“Rapunzel!” She heard the mixed voices shout. She shrieked when Jack began pounding against the wooden shield, his shouts of anger turning into furious growls, then pissed off snorts similar to that of a horse. Suddenly, the sound of hands slapping down on the wood was replaced by hooves, shaking the dome violently and making Rapunzel flinch and cover her ears. The chain began to rattle, the beast outside turning its attention to the metal, biting at it and kicking, but never breaking it.

When it gave up, it gave a final huff of anger before galloping away. Rapunzel sat in her tree shield for a while longer, crying into her hands and trying to calm down. Why did it have to be Eugene? Why was the first person she saw the very man she gave up her life for, the man she deserted in the end just for freedom? Her abandoned dream?

She curled in tighter to herself, the guilt wracking her almost as hard as a train would hit, but she couldn’t cry forever. Mostly when the chain connected her and Merida slackened and the one connected to Jack began to tighten. She needed to keep moving, regardless of what just happened that night.

She looked at her tree barrier, feeling grateful for its protection, and she gently stroked its leaves, whispering to it that she was safe now. The tree seemed to ponder this for a moment, then slowly uncurled itself from around her, letting its leaves brush against her cheek soothingly as it stood up straight. When she was released from the tree’s caring branches, she stroked its trunk again, feeling it shiver in delight beneath her fingers.

She began to walk, bidding the tree farewell, and decided that, if that impersonating beast were to return, she might need something to protect herself with. Unlike Jack or Merida, she wasn’t given a weapon upon her being chosen. She and Hiccup were the only two who came in defenseless, and yet Hiccup still had a dragon at his side. Of course, unlike the three of them, she was perfectly capable of using her hair as a sort of whip, but at the length it was now, it would take much too long to get to the end to. She had her powers, her ability to call upon the flora for help, but she was only ever able to tap into that ability when greatly distressed.

If only she had her frying pan…

-_-_-_-_-

 

Jack’s legs were wobbling beneath him. He had never walked this much ever before and he was starting to wonder whether or not he’d collapse. He already dropped to his knees a few times, but he knew he had no time to rest. Besides, exhaustion was in his head. So long as he still had believers, he would be fine.

Of course, with his staff secured across his shoulders by both hands being cuffed to the ends of it and the center connected to the collar on his neck, he wasn’t able to swing it around and bring snow as freely as he used to. He could touch it, just barely, and summon a nice blizzard every once in a while, but not enough to start a snow day or even fly.

It was for the good of all of them, of course. If he were to fly, he could end up messing up the chain pattern, throwing them all off course. Despite that knowledge, his arms still grew heavy and his craving for flight made him restless. The wind would whisper teasingly to him, begging him to fly once more, but he couldn’t even bring himself to try. He fell to his knees once more, grunting in pain as the snow thickened around him. He let out a heavy sigh, feeling the strain from the chain connected to Rapunzel, and the tug from the one connected to Hiccup. It was still loose, the second chain, but every once in a while it would tug, then slacken once more. Jack could only guess it was Toothless, but even he couldn’t fly anymore.

He groaned and hunched his back, not wanting to lay on his stomach since he wouldn’t be able to push himself up as easily. He could hear his staff creaking, a coil of ice wrapping around its middle, as though begging to be used. Its power had been kept away for too long, all it needed -all _he_ needed- was a really good snow storm to change things up a bit.

He heard a snort a distance away, and he froze. He was no stranger to the Nightmares, and he knew horses were nowhere near him; Not in this desolate tundra. His eyes shifted this way and that, but the clouds blocking the moon and its light kept him from seeing too far. The sound of hooves crunching in the snow behind him had him on his feet and turning, anxious to find the beast before it found him. He twisted his wrists and strained against the cuffs, wanting to grip his staff and defend himself, but he was too tightly constricted.

Another snort, then the hooves turned into boots, and soon a figure came out of the shadows and into Jack’s sight, startling the boy back the closer he came.

“ _There_ you are, Jack…” Hiccup’s voice came from the boy who refused to meet his eye, the fringe of his hair covering half his face as he looked down, but he still stepped forward. He only stopped when Jack yelled at him to.

“What do you want?” Jack spat out at him, chest heaving in panic and his wrists twisting more violently in his cuffs, “I know it’s you, Pitch. What do you want?!”

“Pitch?” Hiccup whispered, surprised, “Is the snow getting to you? Do I even look like that six foot monster?”

Jack clenched his teeth, thinking that no, he really didn’t. But just like himself, Hiccup was chained. A tug from his direction confirmed that fact, and Jack tugged harder at his chains, needed to get his staff.

“Is this your big idea, Pitch? Mock us while we’re down?! How low can you get?!” Jack yelled furiously, kicking the snow at the Hiccup look-a-like, making the boy flinch back, then raise his head to glare at Jack, black holes for eyes tearing through Jack’s train of thought.

“That’s not even funny, Jack! He murdered my village!” Hiccup yelled back, kicking snow at Jack in return, but the boy didn’t even flinch.

“You’re not Hiccup! If you were, you couldn’t be here!”

“How come? Because we’re banned from seeing each other?” Hiccup snorted with a laugh, “Because we followed _that_ rule to a ‘t’.”

Jack clicked his tongue, glaring at the clone, “No.”

“Because this isn’t a shared territory, then?” Hiccup questioned, raising a teasing brow, “Are we pretending that’s actually true, now? Shared territories…” He laughed again and began to pace around Jack, making the frost spirit turn slowly.

“How do you know that?” Jack whispered hatefully, his heart aching every time the illusion grinned at him, the twisting of his lips so unlike Hiccup’s dorky half-smile it made him want to vomit. The look-a-like seemed to ponder that for a moment, then, as if deciding it had nothing left to lose, shrugged.

“Why do you think I’m Hiccup?” He pondered aloud, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he continued to walk, “I see what you see, Jack. I know what you want.” He gestured to himself, then chuckled darkly, “And I know what you know.” He ended with a sing-song voice, drawing closer to the ice spirit, only to make him shy away with disgust.

“So you’re just here to rub this in my face?” Jack asked with a sneer, rattling his chains to emphasize what he was talking about. The Hiccup look-a-like’s grin dropped immediately, and he eyed the chains with a scowl.

“Not at all.” He said seriously, grabbing the chain connecting Jack and the real Hiccup with both hands and twisting, then tugging, then, with a huff, he threw the chain down, “Not at all…” He repeated hatefully, his form beginning to shift, his face pulling this way and that until a horse’s muzzle grew from him, his back hunching and his clothes practically melting into his skin until all there was in his place was a Nightmare, golden eyes aflame with fury. It reared back with a shout and smashed its hooves against the chain, growling through its flaring nostrils when it didn’t give. Jack had flinched, but he didn’t move away. In fact, he sort of hoped it would break through.

The beast bent its head down and bit at the chains, trapping it between its jaws and tugging hard. Jack dug his heels into the snow, hoping to stand his ground and help the beast try and break the chain, but it still didn’t separate. With a defeated snort, the horse looked at Jack with a glare, then flared its nostrils at him and galloped away, leaving the boy alone to his thoughts. Jack furrowed his brows, watching until the Nightmare was out of his sight and the moon began to shine through the clouds once more.

He glared up at the waxing moon, its moonbeans showering him with worry.

“This is your fault.” He muttered angrily, “Chaining us, leaving us defenseless… Now Pitch knows. You think he’s just going to sit by and do nothing?”

The Moon pondered this silently, anxiety obvious. Jack tugged at his chains, weakly, then pleaded to the Man in the Moon, “At least give us back our weapons. _Please_. We can fight him. We can stop whatever he’s planning! We can be responsible. Just give us the _chance_.”

Angrily, the Moon rejected his idea, practically turning away as it rose higher into the sky. Jack dropped his head in defeat, knowing that if the Moon said no, it was final.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t run the first chance he got. All he needed to do was get out of these chains. Then he’d be free.

-_-_-_-_-

 

Hiccup yelped when, for the fifth time that night, he was hoisted into the air, only to be dropped down into the dirt a few moments later. Toothless whined anxiously, getting back to his feet from landing on his side and whipping his tail against the dirt. Unlike the others, Hiccup and Toothless didn’t need to be chained so tightly. Or rather, they really _couldn’t_ be. Hiccup couldn’t have his ankles tethered together, seeing as he only had _one_. His wrists were the second idea, but soon, the Guardians realized that he would need his hands separated if he wanted to calm the tireless dragon. They thought about a collar, like Rapunzel, but immediately rejected the idea. If Toothless were to try flying, Hiccup would be left suspended in the air, his collar turned to a noose.

They settled with a chain to his hip, a third chain separate from Jack and Merida linked him to Toothless’ ankle, and whenever he jumped into the air, Hiccup would be mercilessly dragged up with him, then consequently slammed back down. In order to keep the rider from riding, they confiscated Toothless’ saddle and his tail sail, leaving him just as handicapped as his owner.

When Toothless was about to try another take-off, Hiccup quickly got to his feet and rushed to the dragon, holding up both hands to distract him, “Toothless! Hey, hey, hey, Buddy, hey, how about we _don’t_ do that again?!”

Toothless chirped irritably, flexing his wings with a need for flight, but Hiccup kept distracting him, dancing in front of his vision every time the beast tried to swerve out of his reach.

“C’mon, bud, let’s just keep walking! Yeah? Walking is nice! Walking is… ugh…” Hiccup slumped his shoulders. He was _tired_. So ridiculously tired of everything, and that tiredness seemed to mirror Toothless’ tirelessness so perfectly. Hiccup looked from one chain to the other, his chest feeling as though a hole had been mercilessly knocked through him. How could it have come to this? What did they do wrong?

Toothless chirped at his rider, pressing his snout against Hiccup’s cheek, trying to get the boy to smile, but it didn’t work. Hiccup just pressed his hand to Toothless’ nose, then continued forward. Toothless growled at that, then glanced up at the sky longingly before he followed his partner, wings folded against his back and tail flicking anxiously as they walked through the trees.

The sun was supposed to rise in about an hour, but the heavy clouds above them kept the sunrise from peaking through the trees. He continued forward, glaring at anything that moved that wasn’t his dragon. He just wanted to lie down, pretend to sleep, and just _stop walking_ for a little. If he did, though, he’d end up too far behind, and he’d slow down the rest of them.

“For once, bud, I wish I really didn’t matter.” Hiccup muttered bitterly, getting a worried coo in response from his reptilian beast. A sound in the distance then distracted the dragon, ears perking and eyes slitting, his head twitching this way and that to see what it was coming from. Hiccup, oblivious to his friend’s distress, continued forward, kicking a few fallen leaves and stomping on a few in particular, “What are we even here for? What was the point of all of this?”

The sound of Toothless firing a plasma blast made Hiccup jump and spin around, “Toothless! What are you thinking?!” He yelled, rushing to his dragon to try and settle him, but the echoing noise of hooves rang through his ears before the beast was settled.

They both looked around, anxiety and fear pulsing through them.

“Horses?” Hiccup breathed, glancing back at his friend, who glanced at him with slitted eyes and bared teeth, then spun away, wings outstretched in a display of aggression, hoping to protect his rider. Hiccup gulped audibly, standing behind his dragon and covering his back, looking around to make sure they weren’t about to be attacked.

Another shot of plasma made Hiccup jump once more, but what froze the boy to the spot was a familiar, “Whoa! Hey, you _really_ need to control that dragon, Hiccup!”

Toothless chirped uneasily, wings lowering a bit, allowing Hiccup to look over his friends back to see an impossible girl standing there.

“ _What?_ ” He whispered, unsure if he should run or talk, but itching to do something. The girl stepped forward, platinum blond hair glinting in the muted light, blue eyes sparkling with a familiar fire.

“Not exactly how you’d greet a fellow Viking, huh, Hiccup?” She taunted with a smirk, crossing her arms and flicking her head, tossing her bangs from her face.

“Astrid?” Hiccup wheezed, suddenly thinking that running would be the best idea.

“Uh… who else?” She quipped, raising a brow at him, then rolling her eyes, “C’mon, Hiccup, don’t tell me you got soft!”

She marched to him and socked him in the arm, getting a sharp gasp and a grimace in return. He rubbed his aching arm, gritting his teeth to keep from whining, then he looked back at her, wary.

“You’re…. You’re dead.” He stated matter-of-factly. Astrid just snorted at that, then looked to Toothless.

“What are you doing so far from Berk, anyway? You need to come home, Hiccup.”

“It’s not Berk anymore.” Hiccup sighed, dropping his hand from his arm and slouching a little.

“Your Dad is _angry_. ‘No more night flying!’ he said, then told me to come get you.” She continued, completely ignoring the boy behind her.

“He _didn’t._ He’s dead. You’re _all_ dead.” He replied with a groan, rubbing a hand against his eyes, even more tired.

“Hey, where’s Toothless’ sail? Is that why you’re all the way down here?” She asked, rushing to the dragon and moving to touch his tail, only to get an aggravated growl from the beast as he pulled away. Hiccup pressed his lips together in a line, staring at the Astrid look-a-like and trying to figure out what was going on.

“Oh, I get it,” He said with a sudden burst of realization, “I must have collapsed. No, wait, that’s too nice. Ah!” He snapped his fingers, getting his dragon and Astrid’s attention, “I’m hallucinating! Solidarity is getting to me, fan- _tas_ -tic!”

Toothless snorted, offended, and Hiccup shrugged at him and muttered, “Hey, _you_ try not understanding a thing your chain-gang partner says.”

In response, Toothless stuck his tongue out at him, then whacked his tail against the floor angrily, practically pouting.

“You’re not hallucinating, Hiccup.” Astrid sighed, standing upright and crossing her arms again.

“Really? Then explain to me how you, the girl I had a crushed on, watched grow old and inevitably _buried_ , are standing right in front of me.” He said, a bit hysterically, and when Astrid opened her mouth to speak, he held up a hand and continued, “No, wait, _don’t_. Because it’s _not. Possible_.”

Astrid seemed to reel at this information, blinking and staring at him incredulously, then she pursed her lips. Suddenly, her skin began pulling and stretching, like clay or putty. The colours changed and her height increased just a bit, and instead of the Viking girl of his dreams stood a Scotswoman instead, arms still crossed and brows knitted together.

Hiccup blinked, completely unphased by this development, then he rolled his eyes and said, “Wow, subconscious, that’s _so_ creative.”

“What?” Merida huffed, confused, “Don’t you want me, Hiccup?”

“I don’t think anyone ever really _wants_ a hallucination.” Hiccup grunted, turning to continue walking. Toothless huffed through his nose, glancing between the two, then followed his rider. Merida was speechless for a moment, then huffed again and followed after the boy.

“Hiccup, don’t you want to save me?” She cried, playing damsel-in-distress.

“Oh, of course, look at all this muscle I can use to do exactly that.” Hiccup replied flatly, lifting an arm in emphasis, “Besides, I probably have a better chance of being saved _by_ her than saving her.”

“Is that what you want? You want me to save you?” Merida purred, walking alongside the tired boy.

“Not really.” Hiccup sighed, making her frown.

“Then what _do_ you want?” She huffed, stomping her foot and standing her ground, getting Hiccup’s attention. He stopped walking, looking at her for a while as he thought about the question.

His muscles ached. His head hurt. He felt woozy. He just wanted to lie down and rest.

“I just want to be left alone. Like old times.” He sighed, feeling his shoulders sag. Merida furrowed her brows, then transformed into Astrid again, walking closer to Hiccup until they were about a foot away.

“You don’t want to be like us anymore, Hiccup?” Astrid asked, gesturing to both sides of her, letting Hiccup glimpse the shadows of his friends, his tribe, his father, “A Viking?”

Hiccup blinked slowly, then started fiddling with the edge of his vest, feeling that emptiness in him spread.

“I don’t think I ever could be.” He muttered self-consciously. Astrid fell quiet at that, brows furrowed and confusion written all over her face. She tapped her fingers against her chin, then looked at the chains on him, the chains on Toothless.

“Chains?” She whispered, her hand lowering. Hiccup glanced at the metal, then shrugged.

“For the greater good.” He parroted what was so often told to him as they were all cuffed and linked together, “Or something like that.”

Astrid reached out a hand, gripping the metal belt on the boy and pulling weakly, barely putting any force behind it. Hiccup watched her do it, but didn’t move to help. Astrid pulled a face, then looked up at him, a calculating glare in her eyes.

“You don’t want anything? Really?” She asked, narrowing her eyes, as though she doubted him. Hiccup just shrugged, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

“I would like to say I want my old life back, but seeing how great that went the first time around…” He sighed, his hand roaming up to his face and pressing against his eyelids, the pressure alleviating his headache just slightly, “Then I’d like to say I want freedom, but look where that put us.”

Astrid looked worried, then slowly morphed back into Merida, the transformation almost beautiful in its eccentricity, almost as though two people he thought would be nice to love had become one. She reached a hand out to him, cupping his cheek, and Hiccup closed his eyes at her touch.

“You want peace.” She said, her voice echoing in tandem with Astrid’s voice, creating a sort of harmonic effect, like the gates of Valhalla were just beyond the girl’s lips, taunting him with its music. Hiccup stood there, staring at her blankly, then, in a moment, he closed his eyes and felt his legs wobble, but he stayed standing. Toothless cooed worriedly, rushing to his partner’s side and curling his tail around him, just in case he _did_ fall.

“That’s all I _ever wanted_ …”He nearly sobbed, the pain in his muscles becoming too much, the pounding in his head almost deafening, the feel of his dragon’s tail against his back just a horrible reminder of his human life and its failures, “That’s all I _fought_ for…”

He looked up at Astrid/Merida one last time, only for his heart to sink and fear to choke him. She was grinning sadistically at him, eyes turned black and skin bubbling and fluctuating as she transformed, for the first and last time in front of the boy, into a black mare, its golden eyes and sandy mane a shocking reminder of who -or what- this creature was.

The horse reared back, front hooves about to slam down on the boy, and with a shriek, Toothless shoved Hiccup back, catching him mid-fall with his tail. He shot a warning shot at the horse, scaring the beast away and firing after it twice more as it ran. Hiccup was panting hard, taken off-guard and shaking from what could have been a deadly -well, not exactly, but definitely _painful-_ attack. Toothless helped Hiccup back onto his feet, the dragon rider taking a deep breath before heaving out a weak “Thank you…”

Toothless lifted his chin, practically smiling, as if proud with himself for protecting the boy. Hiccup couldn’t help but smile at that, but it was short lived. If Pitch had sent one of his Nightmares to him, then that _definitely_ meant he had something to do with all of this. But what was the point of him attacking _now_? And in such a beat-around-the-bush way?

A distant whinny brought Hiccup back to his senses, Toothless already alert. Hiccup took Toothless’ chain and gently led him forward, throat dry and hands still shaking.

“C’mon, bud, we have a stop to make….” He whispered hoarsely, getting an agreeing grunt from the beast beside him.

-_-_-_-_-

 

The sound of echoing hooves through the caves made Pitch grin eagerly, turning away from his globe to greet the four horses, who stopped before him in a line and bowed their heads. They were all panting hard, eyes darting and nostrils flaring. They had information, and they were anxious to share it. Pitch glanced back at his globe, noting that none of the Seasons had begun their movement, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t expect them to take off immediately afterwards, anyway. These things -if it works- takes time. And he was willing to wait.

“I trust you’ve all made contact?” Pitch asked with a grin, walking in front of the four of them, hands clasped behind his back and chin held high. The chorus of snorts and whinnies from his retinue affirmed his question, making his grin widen and his eyes glint with the lust to know, but he held himself back. He couldn’t just throw himself at the information, he had to be patient, really _listen_ , and understand just what was going on. He hummed as he walked back and forth in front of the horses slowly, biting his lip and trying to choose which he should listen to first. At random, he approached the horse in the middle left, lifting a hand and letting her press her nose against it, calming down significantly at the touch of her master. Her eyes closed along with Pitch’s, and what filled his mind were the significant parts of her memories.

He saw the spirit of Spring, a metal collar on her with chains going both ways. Her eyes were sorrowful as they looked up, her golden hair not as vibrant as it used to be. He saw her reel back from the mare’s touch, throwing up a hand and, in result, summoning a tree-like barrier between the two, encasing her completely, save for the chains that rattled and tugged. Finally, he saw two hooves rear into the air, then slam on the chains, only for them to remain intact, barely doing them any harm.

He pulled away as though the memories burned, eyebrows knitted together and lips turned to a scowl. The mare huffed and shook her head, tapping her feet nervously and taking a few steps away. She was scared, worried that the information wasn’t good enough. Pitch bit back his anger, unhappy to see his loyal nightmare so anxious. He took in a deep breath, but didn’t move to comfort the horse. Instead, he turned to the one at his right, extending a hand instead of letting her come to him.

Upon contact, their eyes snapped shut, and his thoughts were filled of Jack, hands bound to his staff, but unable to use it. He saw Jack immediately accusing his mare of being Pitch, and he couldn’t help but grin. The boy was smart -or at least, not as stupid as the others. A particular conversation replayed for him, piquing his interest and burning into his ears. Finally, he saw hands grab at the chain, a desperate look in Jack’s eyes, then hooves slam down on the metal, but still, nothing happened.

He stepped away from the horse without rush, eyes slowly sliding open. His frown was still in place, and he whispered to himself for a moment, reflecting on the information before he approached the horse to his left. He barely lifted his head, holding out his hand and letting her come to him. Like the other two, his eyes slid close, and his mind filled with the spirit of Summer.

He saw her chains, her ankles locked together, and the way she screamed at the Man in the Moon. She was angry. Pitch grinned. He also saw the love in her eyes upon seeing the mare for the first time, obviously only towards the disguise she wore. Pitch’s grin widened. However, his grin fell when she called his name, pinning him to the monster before her. He rolled it off his shoulders. So two of them knew, that didn’t matter. It wouldn’t affect his plan; at least, not by much. Finally, as with the last two mares, he saw horse hooves slamming down in the chains, coming away with nothing to show for their efforts. He slid his hand from the mare’s nose, scowling again.

His eyes travelled up to the last mare, who had calmed down a great deal from their first entrance. They met gazes, and without even beckoning to her, she walked over and presented her snout to him. Her eyes were closed and she waited, and her display of submission made Pitch want to know, but with what he saw through the last three horses, he doubted this one would make a difference.

Regardless, his craving overtook his rational thought, and he gently splayed his fingers along her snout, eyes sliding closed and memories of Hiccup flashing behind his eyes.

He saw the boy and his dragon, both chained like the others. His chain, however, wasn’t restricting at all compared to the other three. Even the dragon only had a single cuff on its ankle. When Hiccup’s eyes rose, all he saw was desperation and sadness and _pain_. Talk of hallucinations bounced back and forth. The boy’s obvious lack of want made Pitch scowl, but it was short lived. A single word filled their linked memories, and Pitch’s scowl grew into a sickening grin, teeth glinting in the dull light and face beginning to hurt from how much he was grinning.

He pulled away, still grinning, and he let out a soft chuckle, stroking the mare’s snout lovingly.

“Peace.” He nearly giggled out, then he turned to the other three horses who stood watch, anxious, “ _Peace!_ ” He laughed again, louder this time, and this riled his horses up to excitement.

“What a proud day for you all!” He cried, gesturing to the horses in front of him, “What a _proud_ day!”

He turned back to the globe, painful grin still in place, and he practically hissed with his bubbling glee, “Checkmate, _Guardians_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments please? :D


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